Bread & Breakfast

I would encourage you to give up on your store bought room sprays.  There are very few that aren't what amounts to chemical soup that no one should breathe. (And if you've ever been allergic to synthetic smells or if you have asthma, you'll know what I mean! It is no...

Recently, I heard a young parent as a small child why they had just misbehaved.  I asked that question of my kids many times too.  It's just a reactive, what-are-you-thinking kind of question.  And is there a good answer for it?  Not usually.  Mostly a way to express...

Have you ever spoken with someone who said, "Uh huh," at all the right moments during a conversation, but you know that they aren't really listening to you?  It's that not-so-good feeling of being discreetly ignored or back-burnered.  Yes, I think that's a new word,...

There are times when we are not "present" with our kids.  Maybe we are trying to solve a difficult problem, maybe we are feeling depressed or anxious or we're tuned-in to a cell phone or maybe we're just overly busy.  I appreciate this study (see below) that was...

  A few declarations to consider adding to your list: I am divinely led. I am right where I need to be in my life's journey. It is safe to be me! I am loved and valued. I am creating the life I want. I am setting clear boundaries, kindly, gently, respectfully and...

Do you ever have days that feel crazy? And then when the pressure subsides a little, it's as if your vision clears-up and you can see the things that you've been ignoring in the hustle and hurry? Feeling the chaos of a given day may push us to move and get things...

When I was in middle school, the bus would drop me off about six blocks from home.  I loved being outside and I remember walking down the street, often whistling, trying to mimic the bird's songs.  The road we lived on was long as it left the city limits, where our...

I heard a most profound concept recently: "If you want the consequence, make the choice."

As women, we learn from watching other women.  It's a natural phenomenon.  And wonderful, because we can imitate what we see without a lot of effort. But there are some things that we need to make sure we don't imitate!  Those are the self-defeating, go-nowhere,...

Here's permission to stop and smell the roses...even before all the work is done! Because we all know that the work of running a household and raising children is never done.  Not on weekends, not on holidays.  It continues, even beyond here. So, we've got to get good...

I have been very inspired by working on a goal I set last year which was to read one meditation every day from a book titled The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie the author of Codependent No More.  It is a great book and daily reminder to take care of myself,...

Do you "keep" a journal?  I don't think I keep one, but I do write in one when I have something to say! I've never been much interested in a blow by blow account of everyday life, at least writing like that would bore me to tears.  However, that style surely has its...

I just finished writing another three year vision for my vision board. I have been amazed at how the last three years have been orchestrated and directed by the one I wrote in 2014. It is so true, as one of my favorite visioneers, Dennis Deaton says, "You are always...

Do you ever stop and realize that you are being critical of yourself?  You make a simple mistake and feel all is lost? Do you hear critical, cutting comments in your head?  Some that you would be appalled to hear if someone else had said them?  Why do you expect...

Guess what?  Sometimes we don't know exactly what influence we have, in fact we may never really know. But there are two things we do know. One, is that our kids learn from everything that we say and do, our facial expressions, our likes and dislikes, and even from...

Isn't it kind of crazy that long before you accomplish a goal, you have to work on each broken down piece of it, and before that you have to divide it up and schedule it, and before that you must have a concrete idea, and before that you have to know what you want,...

I don't know who wrote this, but it's been hanging in my kitchen for a long time. Dare To Risk To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach for another is to risk involvement. To expose your ideas or your dreams before a...

In all our big thinking and goal setting, we must remember that it is the small things that make all the difference in relationships! A kind look. A sincere apology.  A hot meal. A hand on a shoulder.  Some undivided attention.  Forgiveness. And when it comes right...

The ladies in this picture are my people.  I didn't ever know them and we're not even completely sure who is who.  But they are my people and they look like women I'd really like to know! It always astounds me that my ancestors where here (in living color even though...

Sometimes I think it's easy to feel like the world is going on without you, especially when you are knee-deep in child rearing.  Like, who will ever know how many diapers you changed today or how many times you reminded a small person about using good manners or how...

I'm always thinking about you. I'm in awe of what you are accomplishing and how determined you are to continue to learn and to improve your life and the lives of your family members! This year I've committed to sending out a short, daily thought or affirmation with...

To schedule or not to schedule; is that the question? I have heard several of my clients express anxiety over the changing of the seasons and the inevitable change that brings to their sense of control and mental stability! When summer came each year when my kids were...

Hi! Thank you for visiting Lioness at the Door, holistic health coaching for women and their families! Please join me for this year's 7 Steps to Family Wellness seminar, designed for busy women of faith.  We focus on one step each month so that we can take baby steps...

I get an energy burst as the calendar fully turns to the clean slate of a bright, new year. To me, it's a time to take stock of where I've been and to reset my vision for the year ahead. It's clean. It's uncluttered. It's an opportunity to acknowledge what I've...

Have you discovered that sometimes family relationships are a little more challenging than you thought they might be? {I think that's the understatement of the world myself!} Being in it for the long haul, rain or shine takes everything we've got and ultimately calls...

I usually end my written or video posts by saying something like, "I hope you're taking really good care of yourself!" Today I'll tell you why. It's because I am a recovering perfectionist/negative thinker/codependent-validation-seeker. How's that for an exhausting...

A few years ago I was standing in the middle of a picturesque little-town cemetery, talking to my deceased grandmother, and to my mother who was out of the country.  I imagined we were all standing there together looking back over our lifetimes and the lives of those...

I few weeks ago I met the grandmother of a child newly diagnosed with Autism.  A new chapter for the whole family as a mind boggling reality begins to sink in.  I promised my new friend that I would write a post to let that little mother know that she's not alone! And...

Happy January Everyone! I hope that this new year finds you well. For the past few years, I have been presenting a seminar entitled, "Seven Steps to Family Wellness" and it has been helpful to a lot of moms! This past fall, I decided to broaden out the seminar to...

Ok my friends! This week's video blog presents an analogy for you to consider: How does shifting from a processed foods diet to a real foods diet compare to changing your negative self-talk into real inspiration? Well, I'd say those two experiences are very much...

Whew! I have had a busy week being "Grandma!" I love it when Charlie walks in and yells, "maMA!" Or when I see a new video of Sarah and her sweet eyes witnessing the world for the first time. My grandchildren remind me that every relationship we have is just more...

A large part of self-care is self-talk...that on-going conversation you are having with yourself about how you look, what you need to do, how you feel about yourself, your mistakes and your victories. Often times I hear women say that they don't like the way they feel...

This week's video post poses the question, how will caring for yourself help your family relationships? Just an idea to consider. When a mother cares for herself and when her wants and needs matter, what are her daughters learning by simply observing her life each...

A healthy family life is all about connection. We work hard at cooking meals, creating healthy boundaries, working together and playing together, all for the purpose of connection, belonging and growth. The flip side, or the opposite of being connected is a greater...

Hi my friends! Just wanted to let you know that I've started posting short video blogs here on the website and on YouTube, so I hope they will be helpful to you. My intention is just to give a quick recipe idea or a bit of encouragement to you each week. I hope you...

Some of the greatest words that can come from a mother's lips are, "Come and eat!" Really, is there anything in family life that counts like food does in the whole equation of love and nurturing? That's why it is SO worth our effort to adjust our lifestyles to support...

I'm excited to let you know that there are two new programs starting up at Lioness...and you can hear all about them Monday morning at 8:15 am on 650 AM or 95.1 FM with Larry J and me on the morning Table Talk show. If you are ready to learn fun ideas for cooking a...

If you have read the last two posts and have done the homework, way to go! I am so impressed! Or, maybe you haven't decided to get down to business yet, and that's ok.  However, when you do decide to put all of this life-changing information into application,...

Hi there!  Ready for a little more progress on your meal planning? As soon as you finish your Meal Planning Step 1, then move on to this post.  Please don't skip ahead!  It will not serve you to get ahead of yourself, and may actually shoot you in the...

There is a new axiom in our day about cooking.  It is, that it is far easier to "pin" a good meal than it is to actually cook one! Don't you wish that the recipes on your Pinterest board would just appear, cooked and beautiful, on your kitchen table with the click of...

Here is a little room spray you've got to try!  It's so easy that it'll take you two minutes to make once you have the ingredients! All you do is fill a little spray bottle with fresh water, then add 2 drops of each, lavender and ylang ylang essential oils  Double...

Hey, it's February, that time for pink hearts, chocolate and maybe a mushy Valentine!  So I've decided that this would be a good time to write about relationships, starting with the central relationship for believing people everywhere; our relationship to God. I want...

Remember the tortoise running his famous race against the hare?  (Were you lucky like I was, to have parents who read Aesop's Fables to you too?)  Well, the turtle wasn't fast and flashy like the rabbit, but he was happily and contentedly dedicated to his goal of...

Hey! It's that regrouping, rethinking, goal-setting, sight-lifting time of year!  And you might teeter at times on the seesaw of should I or shouldn't I make the effort of writing out my goals for the year?  Because really, in June will I even remember what they were?...

I love turning the calendar full circle to a new beginning. It's a chance to look back and see what we've learned from another year's experiences.  And then to look forward and imagine, plan, and organize the changes we want to make and challenge ourselves to reach a...

Hey Mom and Dad! Do you happen to have a teenage girl who has decided she doesn't have time for breakfast?  Or that it makes her feel sick? Or that she's worried about gaining weight? If this sounds like someone at your house, I have some encouragement for you.... and...

Hi ya! How goes the battle? Now that we're part way through fall and our routines are pretty set...how's it all working? Are the mornings moving with relative ease?  Is the homework getting done?  Teeth getting brushed, piano getting practiced, kids getting to bed...

Happy October!  How can it  possibly be this time of year already? I do not know!  But it is beautiful, and we are enjoying apples from Grandpa Jack's trees, making pumpkin ice cream and watching the mountains turn into what looked the other day like colorful candy,...

Living in ColorSummer is winding down, and I hope it has been a good one for you!  I can feel the energy growing for school shopping, sign-ups for football and piano lessons and, and, and...!  While you're in the midst of this gear shifting, please consider these...

Thoughts on self-reliance...we women may need clarification on occasion.... as we (I) sometimes get confused.   Do you ever feel that if you let another person help you that somehow you have failed at being self-reliant?  (Might have to take the capital letter off...

Dear Mom;It seems that a big part of what can make life overwhelming is letting your mind think of all that you need to do, all that you want to do and all that would be nice to do, all at the same time!  Especially in December right!?  Prioritizing your time is a big...

Love, love, love this quote by Barbara Bush, wife of President George Bush.  She was speaking to graduates of Wellesley College: "But whatever the era, whatever the times, one thing will never change: Fathers and mothers, if you have children, they must come first....

I was reminded recently about something a friend of mine taught me a long time ago. Her name is Carol and she was my neighbor in northern Utah. Carol and her husband had raised their children and were living in a beautiful home across the street from ours. She had a...

Photo by Senjuti Kundu on Unsplash My chicks have flown. They came to nest in a bunch and then flew off in a flock. I guess I should have known it would happen that way. It's just that for so many days and weeks and years, it seemed that they would never be able to...

A quote from Sally Fallon's book Nourishing Traditions in response to the question in cooking class last week, "What about oils?"  And the implied question that comes up so many times, "Will eating fat make you fat?""..Our choice of fats and oils is one of extreme...