Author Archive for Michelle Ghilotti
Michelle Ghilotti Mandel is a writer, certified yoga teacher and graphic designer running her own heartful design and branding studio, ghilotti ink, for over 10 years. Michelle is writing the how to be a walking Momtra book (blog: http://howtobeawalkingmomtra.wordpress.com/) and is a guest blogger for Happiness Series, the Elephant Journal, tinybuddha.com and the powermob.com. When she’s not grooving with any of the above, she is running (usually to yoga), sleeping on the Great Wall of China, becoming an expert in expat living and, surprisingly, not making many other plans. She keeps a 5 x 4 foot canvas entitled “The Things that Make Me Happy,” which she is happy to announce will never be finished. She lives in Los Angeles with her five year old son and husband. Michelle’s blogging for Happiness Series about Happiness, Motherhood, finding a balance in life, and having fun!
Parenting Series… Today!
TODAY is… Today is the tomorrow you worried about and all is well! Isn’t that neat? Sometimes I can’t believe how good the world is…how much it gives us and our kids. Even when we worry or let those monkey minds of ours rule the roost, she (the universe) still gives us what we’d prefer. [...]
Parenting Series: Practice this tip!
Parents, practice this tip! So I’ve been a little obsessed with the word practice the last seven years. And I suppose it’s no surprise as I’m a practicing yogi, a certified yoga instructor, practice Business Yoga™ and am writing a book on yoga truths for Moms (link here). And it’s true; it’s called a yoga [...]
Parenting Series: Being Present
On the Today Show’s website (specifically on the TODAY Moms section) there was an article entitled “Are you present in the presence of your kids” that I’d love to respond to. Essentially the article stated it’s unrealistic to be fully present 100% of the time. I agree… it’s definitely unrealistic to be present with your [...]
It’s all about the DOing.
I spoke to a friend today about the how to be a Walking Momtra™ book. I told him the chapter I was having the hardest time with (knock knock, it’s writers block can I come in and staaaay?) was the Practice chapter; the chapter that talks about seeing parenthood as a practice… each day building [...]
Parenting Series – The Family Meeting
Staying Centered So I’ve been busy. Busy and focused on being a Mom, a branding coach, entrepreneur, writer and speaker. I will also add to that awesome egg a frame-maker. Life is good, however, it does get full at times, yes? Sometimes I like to call it a full-time life. But what’s most full-time about [...]
Parenting Series
Burn, then record: 2 ideas for people and parents I did something interesting a week ago with 11 other entrepreneurs. I burned 2011 and recorded 2012. (Thank you to a fab Amanda Moxley for the spark) On a conference call with 11 other women business owners (some Momtra-preneurs), I read what I was was letting [...]
Be the Mother or Father of your Own Re-invention
This topic has been on my mind a lot lately. Might be because of the Walking Momtra™ book or an event I’m thinking about birthing soon in Amsterdam or Paris with my company Michelle Ghilotti Int’l that will discuss the topic in detail… We are the Mothers and Fathers of our re-invention. We birth children [...]
Saying YES to Ourselves (and your December Momtra/Dadtra/Mantra)
December Momtra: I place the oxygen mask on myself first, 3x. Blink and they’re grown, right? Giving our kids happy childhood memories (aka a happy parent) and modeling self-love (aka listening to what we need/want) is done by giving to ourselves…first. Yes, first. We are not #2 (that story was fabricated). On the contrary, it’s never [...]
Dear Parents, don’t shy away from these two things
In writing the how to be a walking Momtra™ book, I’m focusing quite a bit of time on rituals and mantras or Momtras as I like to call them (Mom-specific mantras all parents benefit from). So, the short answer to why rituals and mantras or Momtras are important? Because technically the glass is always full. [...]
Parenting Series:The #1 secret to the beginning yogi (a lesson to all parents)
A Lesson To All Parents… By Michelle Ghilotti Psst, forget about meditation. Use reflection instead. (Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, please don’t cringe. I’m on a mindfulness get-more-people-on-the-mindfulness-track binge). So they say the best businesses are those that fill a need in the market, right? Consider this your business! Consider this [...]
Happiness in Parenting… Rituals
Rituals help keep you happier than [I love] Lucy By Michelle Ghilotti Rituals. They are an extremely important part to parents’ happiness (and no, the ritual of sandwich making every morning doesn’t count even if it does makes you kinda happy). The kind of rituals we mean are the kind that allow you time for [...]
Happy Parenting: Intentions
Have you created an intention for how your day will go and for what you truly feel is important… most important in a day? By Michelle Ghilotti I have – I continue to – and I’m finally feeling like I’m working smarter not harder. It’s been a while that I last wrote to you but [...]
Parenting Series: Pick Your Battles
Parents, Pick Your Battles By Michelle Ghilotti Mandel Whoever invented “Pick your Battles” was sage-arific. I love the phrase and connect whole-heartedly with the sentiment. I imagine someone that looks like my Macarena-dancing Oma or Buddha saying it and following it with Enjoy. Do fun more often. Realize that the big picture is really where [...]
Parenting Series: The Glass Half Full
THE GLASS HALF FULL By Michelle Ghilotti Mandel The glass (half) full of a parent: 6:45am: Up and make food, coffee 8:00 Feed self and kid(s) 8:30 Drop off at school or childcare (and if you’re not the one doing the drop off today, you’re likely thinking about the drop off or if you forgot [...]
Parenting Series – Acceptance & Happiness
More on Acceptance… finding happiness through acceptance By Michelle Ghilotti Mandel Hello Happiens. We talked about acceptance the last couple posts. And though I planned for this article to be about a different topic surrounding parenthood I am finding acceptance to be screaming at moi ~ yes, again. My own personal Momtra the last couple [...]
Parenting Series – How to be a Happy Parent
Making Parents Happy: Acceptance By Michelle Ghilotti Mandel Although we discussed acceptance in the last Parenting Series post, the truth is we could discuss variations on the acceptance theme every post (it’s that big a piece of the contentment puzzle for parents). Another way to look at acceptance or to recognize we need to practice [...]
The Parenting Series – How to be a Happy Parent
Making Parents Happy, The Parenting Series By Michelle Ghilotti Mandel What makes parents un-happy? Last on the Parenting Series we shared with you this New York Times article stating parents were un-happier than their non-parent peers; the truth is there are various pieces of research from around the globe stating parents are not particularly giddy [...]
Michelle Ghilotti Mandel’s Bio
Michelle Ghilotti Mandel is a writer, certified yoga teacher and graphic designer running her own heartful design and branding studio, ghilotti ink, for over 10 years. Michelle is writing the how to be a walking Momtra book (blog: http://howtobeawalkingmomtra.wordpress.com/) and is a guest blogger for Happiness Series, the Elephant Journal, tinybuddha.com and the powermob.com. When she’s not grooving with any of [...]
The Parents Series, Growing your Happiness
Grow Your Happiness By Michelle Ghilotti Mandel The happy news: there’s enough to go around. Happiness, that is. And the secret? There’s one way to get it quickly and that’s to go straight there. (There is urgency to enjoy our lives, let’s be honest.) We must bring contentment with us to our everyday activities instead [...]
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