2016: Simplify, Streamline, Self-Care (part 3)

STOP!!!!  Stop what you are doing right now! Take a deep breath.  How did that feel?  Pretty great, right? Take another one. A slow, deep breath.  Remind yourself to simply breathe and take a second to step away from everything. Close your eyes and take another deep breath.  You’ve got this.  When I feel myself starting to tense up and my shoulders slowly creeping toward my ears, I remind myself to stop, take a moment. Breathe. Remember, to breathe. Previously, I’ve talked A LOT about self care in a series called “Love Yourself”.  However, it’s soooo important that I’m going to rehash it now. Take at least a little time out of every single day to…you guessed it… Do something (literally ANYTHING) for yourself. We get so consumed in the tasks we “have” to do every day that we simply forget to take care of ourselves.  We forget that in order to care for our families, help other people, or be successful at work, that we first have to take care of our selves.  We have to make sure our proverbially batteries Read More

Inexpensive Props and Dual Purpose Furniture!

I get really excited about finding good deals and new ways to use things I already have! When we moved into our new office space we had to get a little creative because there isn’t a whole ton of room! This is especially true in our therapy room. We needed to have somewhere to put all of our instruments and props, but still leave enough room to conduct a therapy session. We purchased two large metal cabinets to run along the back wall of the room and house all of our equipment. They have worked splendidly! When we were putting everything away, I noticed that we had a bunch of little magnets and a light bulb instantly went on! Magnets & Metal Cabinets! OF COURSE! Perfect way to do picture scheduling, highlight important things, and give clients another way to manipulate materials! Perfect! A couple of my clients love helping me put up the picture cards and pointing out where we are in our schedule. This large amount of metal space allows us to get creative and be flexible! One Read More

LOVE Yourself: Positive Thinking & Affirmations

Truth Telling: Growing up, I was not one of the popular kids, the pretty girls, the athletic type.  I didn’t have a huge group of friends, but I had a few outstanding ones.  We were the nerdy musical kids off in our own corner singing show tunes and running lines.  I was the overly-sensitive, stressed out, type-a kid who worried about getting all of my homework and everything else in my life  perfect.  I was talented, but I never thought I was good enough.  Never pretty enough.  Never smart enough. I started to focus on the negative parts of my body, my self, and wonder what I could fix or do differently.  I stressed about daily activities and tried putting a on face to make everyone think I was perfectly happy with myself and my world.  I struggled with insomnia and anxiety attacks for years.  (That’s me on the left with the deer in the headlights expression) It’s so easy to start spinning out of control thinking negatively.  It’s simple to point out flaws and what we dislike about ourselves and others. Read More

Valentine’s Day Song Pack – Lullabies & Love Songs

To help you celebrate this Valentine’s Day, I’ve put together a pack of 4 Lullabies & Love Songs perfect for singing with your little one or anyone special in your life! This pack has special holiday pricing at ONLY $6! With your purchase you will receive 4 original song recordings, instrumental tracks for each of the songs, and a booklet with the lyrics and chords for each tune! Enjoy & Happy Valentine’s Day!   Lullabies & Love Songs by On A Good Note Read More

Listen & Learn for Leaders! – Launched TODAY!!!!!!!!!!

I am SO excited to share this news with you today! Since you are reading this, YOU are probably a leader in some fashion and this new series of resources is just for YOU! Over the past few years, I have spent countless hours creating, crafting, recording, and putting into practice my own songs, materials, and session plans.  This past year I partnered with Rachel Rambach and together we have been producing even more quality materials and using them in our Early Childhood Groups. Every few weeks,  Rachel and I sit down and plan the next session of our Listen & Learn for Little Ones classes. This is one of our favorite parts of the job — we both love brainstorming new songs, choosing how we will address specific goals, and then recording the new music we’ll put to use with our kiddos. But we know that not all leaders like doing that same work. Maybe you are passionate about marketing but not songwriting. Perhaps putting together your curriculum together completely stresses you out, but you are passionate about putting songs into action Read More