Beautiful ButterflyMoms!

Sometimes I wish I could learn things faster so that I would not hit so many bumps. What I am learning is that in life’s journey, as you begin uncovering and letting go of your EGO (and things that no longer serve you), you start to FEEL. Sometimes those feelings can be overwhelming. During these times make sure you get plenty of sleep, plenty of water and eat the best you know how to eat. As you shift, your body will also need your help shifting. Be kind. Journal. Notice. Feel…ahhhhh that’s the word we sometimes try to avoid…FEELING. We feel the ICKIES so we numb out/avoid with _________________(fill in the blank with food, drugs, sugar, television, gossiping, shopping, cheating….you get the idea, right?) We have all been there. The POWER comes from admitting it!

Why do so many of our children today, why do they CUT themselves just to feel. When I was a kid, I don’t remember hearing a lot of that kind of behavior, certainly not like today. Last night’s ButterflyMoms workshop was incredibly powerful! We did several exercises where participants could see how putting yourself last can have a very detrimental affect on one’s self. I gave the analogy of Princess Diana’s wedding dress. Imagine that your life is like her stunning wedding dress, but that over time you keep wringing it out more and more as you sacrifice who you are as you almost exclusively give to other people. Over time the dress becomes more like the lace curtains you see in the abandoned houses with the broken windows.

We act like if we just stay OUT OF OUR BODIES our lives will magically transform. What they will ACTUALLY do is they will SYSTEMATICALLY FADE AWAY. The world is full of examples of people who followed what they were told and shut themselves off. They let the voices of those outside of themselves be more powerful than their inner voice. For those of you who are FEELING A CONFLICT INSIDE YOURSELF REJOICE! Rejoice that you are still FEELING! Be THANKFUL that you are still getting FEEDBACK from your TRUE/AUTHENTIC SELF letting you know that you are still in there!

In your own life, look at how others before you, both men and women did what they were told and completely neglected their inner voice, their inner light. The best-selling author Dr. Wayne Dyer talks about how cemeteries are filled with people WITH THEIR MUSIC STILL IN THEM!

Where is your “music”? Think of the little girl (or boy) inside of you. RIGHT NOW…How do you treat her (or him)? REALLY PAY ATTENTION HERE. What kind of time do you make for you inner child? What kindness, space, attention, love, do you show? How do you feel about your inner child? NOTICE! Last night at the 20^th ButterflyMoms workshop (YAY 20^th!!!!) We played with a little exercise where the women who attended were given an assignment…Let’s say you have three kids. You would usually not completely ignore one of those kids and give everything you had to the other two, well since most of the women in our group do have two kids I asked them to try this exercise: Add one more kid to your list of children, add YOUR LITTLE SELF as one of your children. Make time for her as you do your other children. Time to dress, time to teach, time to listen to, time to hear, time to acknowledge. Just like you would not leave one of your own kids behind learn to not leave YOUR SELF behind, otherwise the lace curtains that hang from those sad, abandoned houses will become an analogy for where your life is heading. (DEEP BREATH) ! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! YES! ! Write me with questions or comments if you need help removing this block from your life.

Speaking of blocks there are only a very few spots left for the first annual BUTTERFLYMOMS YES! YES! YES! RETREAT! If you have been on the fence, jump off of it!!!!! Saturday, October 15^th the price spikes up from only $299 to $365. Make it work now! BRING YOUR SELF on this wonderfully special re-connection time. I can promise you, you will have one of the best times of your life! ! Go to www.butterflymoms.com to sign up or just shoot me an email. Hurry because there really is not that many spots left! !

Big honkin’ huge hugs,

Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON? MORE WAYS TO FEED YOUR SOUL…

√  Come the ButterflyMoms Vermont Retreat… and say YES! YES! YES! to your best life!  Take care of yourself! October 21-23 you have a date with yourself in Vermont at the beautiful Lareau Farm Inn for the first ever ButterflyMoms YES! YES! YES! Retreat. Price is only $299 if you pay before October 15, after that it goes up to $365 which includes all the workshops, materials, most meals and lodging. There are a very limited number of spots so don’t be on the outside wishing you had booked it! Reserve your spot now!! YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! To book it send an email to maria@butterflymoms.com! Scholarships available. You will only regret NOT going!

√  Did an interview for Doreen G. Fulton‘s FREE virtual conference “Finally, an IEP for Mom! An Individualized Empowerment Plan for the Mom Who is Overworked, Overstressed and Overloaded!” ! I am soooooo excited to work with her! Check it out… http://believeinarayofhope-doreen.blogspot.com/

√  Finally here is the magnificent ButteflyMoms interview on Nancy L. Cantor‘s Dream Factory Television Show… I hope you watch it and that it feeds your soul! ! http://vimeo.com/30095902

√  Just finished our 20th week in a row of ButterflyMoms Workshops!!!!! Come feed your soul…783 Washington St, Holliston. Plenty of FREE & EASY PARKING in back. Only $25 or just $20 if pay through Paypal http://bit.ly/mS7c70

√  We sold no ENTREPRENEUR MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE books last week. To feed the soul of a friend buy them a copy by CLICKING HERE NOW… http://bit.ly/gRxe4U

√  I have space for three more coaching clients. If you are interested send me an email maria@butterflymoms.com!

THE BOOK… “Mom Entrepreneur Extraordinaire”

The following is a list of places where ButterflyMoms live, who bought our wonderful book, MOM ENTREPRENEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE… Buy one so you can put your city/town/country on the list like so many other beautiful ButterflyMoms have!

UNITED STATES

California

Anaheim 1

Fullerton 1

Sacramento 1

San Bruno 1

Connecticut

Greenwich 1

Yalesville 1

Florida

Fort Lauderdale 1

Kentucky

Louisville 1

Maryland

Chestertown 1

Massachusetts

Ashland 3

Blackstone 2 Bolton 1

Holliston 14

Hudson 4

Medway 3

Millis 1

North Easton 1

Sherborn 1

South Grafton 1

Watertown 1

Wrentham 1

Worcester 3

Wrentham

Missouri

Lee’s Summit 1

New York

Scarsdale 1

Stony Brook 1

Ohio

Dublin 1

Rhode Island

Newport 1

Vermont

Waitsville (Mad River Valley) 2

AUSTRIA

Wien, Austria 2

IRELAND

Dublin, Ireland 1

ITALY

Rome, Italy 3

JAPAN

Tokyo  1

PORTUGAL

Santa Maria (Azores/Açores)  1

SCOTLAND     

Greenock

SPAIN

Madrid 1

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*To buy your copy Click here now…http://bit.ly/gRxe4U

REMEMBER…

*Mark your calendar to read ButterflyMoms EVERY Friday!

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It's the small moments....

Hello Beautiful ButterflyMoms,

WHEW! Is living on planet earth an adventure or what?! If you are paying attention there is NEVER a dull moment, N-E-V-E-R, ESPECIALLY when you are a parent! Am I right? Do I hear an “amen” my beautiful ButterflyMoms?!

When I know I’m going to write a flood of very cool ideas come to me and I have the awesome gift of being able to pick any one of them. Good news/bad news. Today I’m picking a topic that has a lot of energy around it and one that we very easily discard for much “louder” or “pressing” issues, but in life oftentimes it’s the little things you neglect that over time do the most damage….or, give you the most joy!!!

I have ALWAYS LOVED BOOKS!!!! I love the way they feel, smell, look and even the way they sound (when you open them)! I often “joke” that I would love for a natural disaster to happen where I would still have food, heat, safety, electricity but that we could not go out for a month or two so I could just read and read and read…you know, just like with clothes that we buy because one day we will fit into them….we buy books with the intention of one day reading them. When I was little I used to save all the money I could to buy Scholastic books. Buy three and get the cute kitten poster….:)! I would sometimes not even eat lunch at school to save money for books that is how much I LOVED books! At home, at the age of 8 or so, I would spend hours and hours organize my books with the Dewey Decimal System. As an adult, when I moved back to the States from Japan I shipped 19 boxes of books…..yup, I think you get the point, MARIAAAAAAAAA LOVES BOOKS!!!! !

At the beginning of the school year I was given a deluge of forms offering me the opportunity to join a number of very worthy school organizations. As a working mother with lots of kids my track-record is that of over-committing and then burning out, which serves no one! Following the philosophy of “a hard head makes a soft ass” philosophy, I’ve finally learned to say, “NO!” but I’ve also learned to say “YES!” to the specific things that FILL MY SOUL.

When I saw that I could volunteer at the Placentino (elementary public school) Library…AND be able to do it when my daughter was there with her class, I thought I had won the lottery! It is only one and a half hours every other week but getting to check her and her class’ books out, speaking to the wonderful librarians, organizing books, doing projects for the library AND getting to practice my (very) rusty French with these wonderful children is PRICELESS! (Holliston, where we live offers free French Immersion and Montesorri in its public schools! How cool is that?!) The librarians think it odd that I thank them every time as I leave for giving me the gift of volunteering. It is a “simple” thing but it fills my soul and I leave soooo happy! I LOVE IT!

Another thing that is very important to me is being Portuguese, and being Portuguese to me means being able to speak Portuguese. When I was a child we used to go to Portuguese School after regular school. We did not like it but that gift my parents gave me allowed me to go on to learn a bunch more languages and that gave me a life that has been magical…even with the “icky” parts. One of the reasons I spent the entire summer in Portugal with my kids was to pass on that gift. When we got back I made the decision to sign them up for Portuguese School. The best one is at the Hudson Portuguese Club which meant driving about 40 minutes each way twice a week. “Funny” – it is the same school I used to go to as a kid. My mom used to teach there and to this day she is beloved by her former students who are now in their 40′s!!!

Teaching My Awesome Students in Portuguese School

When I got there the first day of school they had to combine the two classes because one of the teachers had just given her notice and they had not yet found a replacement….You know when you get that feeling that the universe is literally putting the spotlight on you saying, “This one is yours.” This was one of those moments. I sat on it for a couple of days, asked my life partner Doug his opinion and it still felt right. When I told the school, they were sooooo happy and now I’m soooooo happy too! It is SUCH a joy to know that I’m the second generation teaching at this school and my daughter Mialotta is the third generation involved in this wonderful heart school. It is SUCH a gift! Although it takes up a lot of time and a deep commitment, I LOVE IT! It totally fills me!

I would also love to do a bunch of other things like horseback riding, rock climbing, yoga, acting, wheel-throwing, etc but for right now the teaching Portuguese and volunteering at the Placentino library are creating win-win situations for everyone it touches. In your own life do an inventory check of your activities. Although we feel like it, there are very few “have to’s”. You are “captain of your soul, the master of  your destiny”. You hold the gun to your own head and then blame others/life/circumstance. Picture where you want to be and then take steps to begin the journey. It’s not about “the arrival”, it’s about the fun along the way. What will you do right NOW to add more fun into your life? Look around you and see what you love….start there. All your treasures are buried “there” in the NOW.(deep breath) (Really feel this.) By doing this you will “tune” into life you’ve always dreamed of. You have that power. You have that ability. Find ways to gently remind you of that every day.

Great big hugs,
Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

PS I’m sooooo thrilled that my dream of writing a book is finally come true!!! Entrepreneurial Moms Extraordinaire is the amazing wisdom of 21 entrepreneurial moms who are passing on their knowledge to those who don’t have time for beating around the bush! We all need to make money NOW and live our lives well NOW. This book will definitely help in a very profound way! It’s coming out at the end of January. It will be $25 but if you pre-order it now you get it for only $19.99. Of course I will autograph it for you too! J Send me an email at maria@butterflymoms.com and I will send you the order form. YOU WILL LOVE IT!!!!