“I yam what I yam, and that’s all what I yam.”
Popeye

Hiya Beautiful Creative Monkeys!

Before I share this month’s mind-altering (you’ll see what I mean when you read it) togetherness project, just wanted to provide a little update on our lives and Monkey Chi. It’s been a busy summer at the Monkey House. The girls (Twinkle and Sparkle) just finished a 5-week break from school. It was awesome and we did and made so many fun things, but I’m sad they’re going back to school. I’ll miss my creative playmates–my biggest fans. On the other hand, Sonshine (my now 3 year old son) will LOVE having all my attention.

etsy and FACEBOOK
We worked an art sale last month which led to us reopening our Monkey Chi Monkey Do Etsy shop. It’s a small shop, but we’re continuing to add stuff, so if you are in need of handmade and natural gift ideas for your monkeys, please check us out.  We’ll be adding more things to our shop in the weeks to come, as we settle back to our school routine.

Pinterested?
We joined Pinterest. Talk about time spent online … but it’s a useful and colorful way to organize all that stuff you’d like to make, do, or just look at. It’s simple, beautiful and inspirational. Check out my personal Pinterest and our Monkey Chi Board and if you likey, follow and repin!

becky’s site for sunshine
Oooh, and I wanted to take a moment to invite you to check out a site I created for Sunshine! It began last year and it’s blossomed and become such a happy creative outlet for me to share my personal poetry, my art, and videos and things I find inspirational. Consider yourself invited! If you enjoy it, you can subscribe on the site.

Ok, now we’ve got all our news and updates out of the way, here’s this month’s togetherness project.

Togetherness projects are activities we do with someone we love: things that are creative and different. We disconnect from technology and stay totally present in the creative process, without judgment AND without cell phones, to enjoy complete presence with our loved ones. As we become more and more dependent on technology, it’s really important that we CONSCIOUSLY take time away from all these amazing sites and devices and remember that simply being present is the greatest gift we can give to someone, especially our children.

weighing in on self acceptance… our latest togetherness project idea

“I yam what I yam, and that’s all what I yam.”
Popeye

For most of my adolescence and through my mid 30s I struggled with my body image. Sadly, I think it’s atypical for a girl/woman NOT to. As I’m raising two amazing daughters (my teachers) I am committed to loving my body and doing things that celebrate and honor the entire physical mass that I am, no matter how squishy–or whatever weight I am. I Yam What I YAM! I believe one of the greatest behaviors I can show my children is demonstrating my own self love and self respect. It’s NOT easy in this day and age.

I pray my children never have to liberate themselves from automated negative thoughts about their weight, or that they ever define their self esteem or value by a number on the scale. That’s what I used to do.

The girls and I talk often about the media’s manipulation of personal feelings and thoughts to create an insecurity within us: Marketing messages attempt to convince us that our negative and feelings of inadequacy can be relieved by purchasing their product. (yeah, right!)

If you have children in your life, I encourage you to share this amazing video with them. Although it’s sponsored by an enormous personal product company,  it delivers a powerful message through imagery. Start an on-going conversation about the edited images surround us, permeating our culture–on TV, billboards, and of course talk about the intentions of magazines and advertisers.

The bottom line is, we are all only slightly perfect! Nobody’s perfect. Nobody … no BODY! It’s true! We each are beautiful unique expressions of life energy: perfect individuals-perfectly individual, but too often we compare ourselves to others something happens and we lose the real and honest perspective of ourselves.

For years I struggled with my weight–or should I say, my perception of my weight. A few years ago I stopped obsessing over my caloric intake and started focusing on eating for good health and energy. But still, somehow that scale literally weighed on my emotions. I’d get on it, and if I weighed  a few pounds more, I felt crummy. But the truth is, no matter what my weight, I am still all of me!

I don’t feel crummy any more… my scale makes me feel good about me, no matter the number!

Supplies
♥  a blank scale
♥  colorful paint markers
♥  Mod Podge acrylic sealant (flat or glossy, your choice) and a brush or foam applicator brush
♥  fabulous colorful, magnificent, empowering accepting words!

Doing this togetherness project is an excellent time to talk with children about the power our internal thoughts have on the way we feel about ourselves, (if you like this project, you may enjoy the Mirror Mirror project).  As my girls get older (they are now 11 and 9) I’m hoping this ongoing conversation will set them up for a better chance at positive self image, despite our culture’s attempts at undermining.

Here were some of our words: sparkly gorgeous alive bella sweet awesome cool neat Bundle of LOVE sexcy kooky creative one off, rosy, fabulous, Bright, loved, amazing, lovely, good, shiny, adorable, powerful, super, magic, brilliant, groovy, radiant … they make me feel so good.

After you’ve taken turns writing all the words, then finish by coating it with an acrylic sealant like ModPodge.

This project was so much fun, and refreshing. The only guideline I suggested was we couldn’t use a word that described our actual weight, so words like skinny fat or thin (and others) were not acceptable. Those words have nothing to do with our reality or our health. Those words are judgmental, subjective and dis-empowering.

What do you think? What do you feel when you get on the scales? Do you have daughters or children who could benefit from your healing your own personal body image issues? Do you like this idea? Please share in comments on our site or on our facebook page.

Wishing you lots of love, creative moments, and beautiful discussions with someone you love,
Becky and the Monkeys

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair” ~ Kahlil Gibran

Hiya Creative Monkeys,

Thanks for your recent participationwith our rice and thought experiment. We have completed the project and our video and currently we are finetuning and editing the “BIG REVEAL” video and hope to send it out to you verrrrrry soon.

In the meantime, we wanted to share our latest Monkey Chi Monkey Do togetherness project: an upcycled Tin Can Wind Kite! Weeeee!!!!

Supplies
♥ a large can with both top and bottom removed (large tomato cans work well)
♥ decorative paper
♥ assorted ribbons
♥ craft glue
♥ rubber-bands & scissors
♥ fishing line or string
♥ drill or hammer and nail to make holes
♥ optional Outdoor Modpodge (helpful to promote outdoor longevity)

Directions
Select and cut your ribbons and attach loosely to the bottom of can with an elastic-band.

Once all your ribbons are in place, carefully lift the top of each ribbon and apply glue to the can and ribbon and secure the elastic-band on top of ribbon to hold it in place. Move to next ribbon after holding for a few seconds being careful they don’t slip. (This bit can be tricky and sticky, so for younger monkeys you may want to help.)

When the ribbons are glued down, select your decorative paper and cut to fit. (You may need to cut another piece to cover the entire can.)

Glue the paper onto the can.

Sparkle and I chose to leave our paper plain; Twinkle decorated hers with stickers.

We left the elastic bands underneath the paper to hold the ribbons in place. Once the paper is glued on and decorated, you may want to completely coat the paper with Outdoor ModPodge or another decoupage medium. This is not necessary, but it may help retard color fading of the paper.

Once dry–which may take a day if you use ModPodge–, drill two opposing holes and tie fishing line or string through the holes to create a hanger. 

We made a few of these for our garden but these also make excellent gifts! We are enjoying  watching them blow in our warm Carolina Spring breezes.

Are you going to make one? Let us know … we’d love to hear from you.

Wishing you creativity and total presence with someone you love,
♥♥♥Becky, Twinkle & Sparkle♥♥♥

P.S. Please join us on Facebook and share your ideas and post pictures of your creations!

As we turn the bend and enter the third week of our 30-day Rice Experiment, here are two snaps of our rice–one front shot, one back shot  (taken today). Click on them to enlarge.

I was really surprised by today’s pictures. If you compare them to Week One and Week Two images, the rice levels look much lower. The rice is discoloring, and that jar-that-we-don’t-think-about-that-we-call #3 seems to be separating and decomposing faster than the other two.

I promise we have not done anything physical to the rice. Even though the jars are in our living room, we barely even look at them. They have remained in the same exact spot, tightly sealed, and the only time I have touched them is to rotate them for photos.

We have a few families who have their own Rice experiments going on with us. My friend Julie commented last week that when her children have a disagreeable moment in their home, they now say “take it to the negative rice”, and “we need to work harder on the positive one”. I LOVE that! Children are so amazing and naturally perceptive.

Our intention for this togetherness project is for our experiment to be a catalyst for conversation in your own home, about the power our words and thoughts have on ourselves, each other and our world.

Have you talked about the power of thinking? The power of words? Had any crazy conversations about our rice? We’d love to hear from you. (Comment below on our site.)

Oooh, and in case you’re just joining us here are linkies to Monkey Chi Rice Experiment video on Vimeo or YouTube  for the full scoop.

It’s not too late to play along with us. For the next two weeks send two thoughts a day to our jars: one positive happy thought to the “I love You” jar, one negative yucky thought to the “You are Gross” jar. (Ignore that other one completely.)

If you like send a message to the rice by posting a comment on our Web site. (Remember this is a family site, Uncle Ron.)

The more the Monkeyer

If you share the experiment with your friends via Facebook or email etc., let me know and I’ll enter you  into our drawing to win Monkey Chi Fun including a DIY paint kit, and hide and EeeEeeEeek Monkey game, and other monkey surprises. EeEeEeEe!

Happy thoughts of you,
Becky Jaine and the Monkeys

Love and presence,

Becky, Sparkle & Twinkle

“Keep your hands open, and all the sands of the desert can pass through them. Close them, and all you can feel is a bit of grit” ~ Taisen Deshimaru

I’ve been talking about this togetherness project (click here for a more info about togetherness projects) for weeks at my house: Hunting for a family Touchstone, a simple communication tool that will help my us stay closer amidst the chaos and busy-ness of our lives.

Historically, touchstones were pieces of stone that were used to determine the quality of gold or silver based on the mark it left behind. In our modern culture, touchstones are used as a reference point which other things can be evaluated against.

We (uh-hem, ok… honestly it was ME) wanted to find a “touchstone” to help my family stay connected, especially during times when we are too focused on the computer, TV or some other seemingly more important activity. I wanted something physical we could grab to call a family meeting to order, and demand everyone’s attention especially for moments when it would be emotionally easier (or lazier) to stay tuned out.

Simple Guidelines (how to use a Touchstone)
When a member of our home needs everyone’s full attention, she/he will retrieve the touchstone and summon complete presence from everyone at home. (By presence, I mean, giving full attention–energy, eyes, body, mind and spirit–rested upon the person holding the Touchstone. We all must oblige, without exception.) gulp–what have I done?!

Each person will take a turn holding the touchstone and sharing their thoughts and feelings, without interruption, making sure that each person is fully heard and feels connected.

Simple, right? Sometimes giving our complete undivided attention to someone is anything but easy. I dare you to try it when you’re in the middle of an e-mail, blogpost, or text message. Huh … huh??? Gotcha! You see… That’s why a touchstone will be valued in your home, especially to help the children in our lives to feel important and deserving  to fully command our attention.

Our (less than) Perfect Walk in the Woods

Today the Autumn leaves were having a party with the sunshine in the woods. After school we were determined to go out in search of the perfect rock to symbolize our Touchstone–an attention-getting device.

The photo opportunities were beautiful. Autumn in our neighborhood is such a feast for the senses! For weeks I’ve envisioned my family going on a touchstone hunt. It would be fun, happy-go-lucky, smiley and joyful. Sounds completely possible, right? Well, that’s not quite how it went down.

As we were walking, Sonshine–my 2 year-old son–found a stick (what is it and boys with sticks??). I asked him to hold my hand and he said “Go away, Mommy!” and then smacked my leg HARD with the stick. YOW!!!! Horrors! That really hurt. I had to put him in a time out in the middle of the woods! He was not happy and neither was I.

Then, someone–who shall remain nameless–turned into a complete cranky uncooperative miserable mess! This person dawdled, whined and accidentally dropped a potential touchstone into a deep part of the river, and then fell apart sobbing and agitated.

Uh… Not exactly what I had in mind for our nice family togetherness project.

Cue the frolicking deer… I said “CUE THE DEER!!!” They too were a disappointment.

My ever-so-patient and grounded husband and I kept glancing at each other, trying to quell our looks of despair.

I tried to breathe deeply and not over react to the unfolding drama. It was beyond ridiculous! At one point, I started laughing–to which my beautiful nameless family member yelled, “You’re laughing at ME!!!! boohoooooohooooo!” More sobs. I hate to say, but I laughed even louder as my mind recounted my original plan for a beautiful, perfect, peaceful, happy walk in the woods to retrieve a meaningful symbol for our family. (Think insane Quasimoto type of laughter.)

WahHahaha!

I took another deep breath and took it all in. The emotion, the disappointment, the bruise on my shin, my oh-so-very-upset nameless child. The good the bad and the ugly.

Editor’s Notes
I could’ve elected to edit the not-so-happy-imperfect stuff out and basically provide an outline of my brilliant perfect idea, but somehow I don’t think that would be as interesting or real, do you?Perhaps it would’ve been prettier but definitely boring.

One of the biggest lessons my children have taught me since formally incorporating Togetherness Projects into our routine: I cannot control the journey, nor can I control my children’s emotions. I can only control my intentions and how I choose to respond in the moment.

I completely let go, committed to trying to enjoy the elements that were pleasurable: the smell of the wet earth and the crunch of the falling leaves beneath my feet, the humour and irony of the situation, the sound of the stream, AND the ridiculous fact that it’s flippin’ hard to find a rock when the ground is covered by all those leaves! Basically I had to give up my perfect dream and accept the beautifully imperfect reality.

Somehow we found our touchstone. We plan to paint it with some fabulous design– something we’ve yet to create–but that’s a project for another day!

Ultimately, the Touchstone was fully tested and passed our first test: serving it’s purpose for the first time to bring us together–in honesty– fully in the moment, be it good or bad. Perhaps our future touchstone gatherings will be less dramatic and surprising? Hmmmm, I can always dream, right?!

Your turn
What do YOU think of the idea of having a touchstone with someone you love? Are you going to hunt for one? Please share your ideas, comments and stories in this idea’s comment section or e-mail me. PLEASE!!!! I’m begging you… I’d love to tell my family that there really are other people in our world committed to doing unusual things to disconnect to reconnect… other than their CRAZY mother.

Love, love, and bursts of uncontrolled moments of presence…
Becky and the Monkeys