Make your home cozy by adding hygge. For more information see my blog at busofawesomeness.edublogs.org

In this episode I talk about finding the awesome in yourself and in those around you. Show notes can be found at http://busofawesomeness.edublogs.org.

Do you negatively talk to yourself? If so, it might be the reason why your not accomplishing your dreams! If negative self talk hinders is, could positive self talk help us to flourish? Find the show notes at http://busofawesomeness.edublogs.org

In this episode, I follow up on my podcasting journey, how to start something you’ve always wanted to do, and I’ll share my personal mission statement.

This week's awesomeness: Create a personal mission statement. What is a personal mission statement? According to Google: "A mission statement is a phrase or sentence that represents the purpose of your life. It is something that empowers you as it reminds you of what you're made for and what your life is all about." We only get one shot at life. I really want to get purposeful with mine. I don't want to waste any time. I want to live out my purpose to the full extent. Today I interview Jim McCargar, professor at Baldwin Wallace University. Jim has studied personal mission statements and he will share how it has positively impacted his life. For more info, check out the show notes at www.busofawesomeness.edublogs.org

The app I talk about on the show today is called "Our Home."  This FREE app allows you to assign tasks to each of your children.  Once your child finishes a task, they earn points.  They can earn points for rewards set up by YOU!  Rarely will you have to nag your kids again!

Here's an example:

Two nights ago, I worked all day, ran Hailey to get some fast food and then off to cheer practice.  I had to wait extra long at cheer because they were passing out uniforms, which caused me to almost be late to open house.  A little FYI...I'm the teacher, so I HAD to be at open house ON TIME.  Needless to say, I was in a full blown panic!

Open house came and went.  I went home exhausted around 8:30pm.  To my surprise, the living room was all straightened up and neat!  Christian had done it all, and I didn't have to say a thing! It was such a nice treat after a long day.

Give the Our Home app a try and let me know what you think!

I brought back my friend, Wendy Fedan, this week to talk about how to have a successful transition into the new school year.  Wendy's son, Jack, was new to our school last year and was a student in my class.  Throughout the year, Wendy and I got to know each other very well, so well that I felt like she was part of the team of teachers!  Here are a few key points from the interview:

Go to open house and meet the teachers.

Ask the teachers questions when you, as the parent, are just as confused as your child!

Understand the importance of working with the school...we are all on the same team.

When faced with anxiety, ask yourself if you really need to spend your energy on worrying about something that is unlikely to happen?  (Probably not!)

Ask your child to find ways that they can organize themselves.

I hope you find value in this interview.  I think it is helpful to hear the perspective of a teacher and a parent collaborating together to help the child succeed!

Have you ever done a Random Act of Kindness? If you want to change the lives of others while changing your own, give it a try. Inspired by colleague and friend, Gina Boneta, a team of us venture out to fast food restaurants in our awesome town of Amherst, OH to surprise some well deserving workers with kindness! Check out my blog at http://busofawesomeness.edublogs.org/ Need a book fast? Sign up with Audible and get a free book to listen to today! http://audibletrial.com/yourdailydoseofawesome

Today I will be interviewing my best friend of 44 years, Valerie Lysaght. The awesome thing about Val and me is that no matter how far we are from each other or how long we may go without speaking, she is like a sister to me. Val has seen me through the toughest times in my life without judgement. I am bringing Val on the show today because she has overcome many trials in her life and has managed to see the awesomeness in each challenge. Val has tips on how to heal and rise above the negativity and sadness that comes with divorce and caring for a father with alzheimer’s disease. Today we sit down to talk about healing during a divorce.

Today's episode is coming to you live from somewhere on I-71 as we journey our way to Cave City, KY!  This episode also features my 2 favorite teens in the world, Christian and McKenna Pfeiffer!  If you listen all the way to the end, you're in for a real treat!

Connecting with your teen may not always be awesome, but today, I'll share some ways that I connect with mine.