Happy 3rd Birthday Daily 3's

Oct 4,2017

3 YEARS.


It's hard to believe that I have been posting my daily 3 pictures of appreciation for 3 years. As the day approached, I started looking back and recognizing that although officially I began posting today on my Bliss With Mac health coaching site, I was posting pictures on my personal page a bit earlier. Funny how that works. What we remember and how things actually happened at times get a little fuzzy....

So, I choose today as the Daily's Birthday. 

For those of you new to this page, or new to the idea of Daily 3's, here is a quick overview of who I am and most importantly how the pieces of my life's journey are fitting into place...

My name is Macara Brachmann, I was widowed at 41. This is not something I like to dwell on but state more for being the turning point in my life. 

You see, when Scott died, a shift happened... when people asked me how I was doing I gave them 3 blanket answers... 1)thankful the bad guys didn't kill him(being in the Seal Teams for 21 years it was always one of my realities) my boys do not have subconscious feelings of retaliation  2) there was no question about if he had suffered (the coroner said he was dead before he hit the floor with this heart attack) and lastly 3) I didn't have to think about bringing his body back from over seas, since he had just returned from Africa 4 days earlier...These were my go-to responses.... 3 things.... why? I have no idea.... 

Something shifted my thinking. Why? I have no idea and in all honesty realize that this shift is a gift that was given to me. 


SR and I began a long distance relationship while I was living in MN and him in CA.

We decided it was time to live under one roof, so the big move happened in 2013, returning back to CA and into SR's home. We were blending 2 families into 1 (which is no small feat with the kids all having experienced a loss of a parent). We always knew that his home was not going to be our second chapter home together.We both wanted a fresh start, so house hunting began.  

Here's where the whirlwind began...

SR's house went on the market and sold in 4 days with all cash offer+ 20 DAY ESCROW!!!!!

yup, SHIT HIT the FAN...

Life went into complete get'er done mode. You know what I mean, the panic of oh shit, 20 days to pack and find a house.... 

To make a long story short, we didn't find a house in 20 days. We moved into an original bungalow in the opposite direction from where we wanted to live with an insane commute.Mentally, I am a firm believer that you can do anything you set your mind to, it was the transitional chapter, I kept telling myself...  I can do anything for 3 months.... 

After we moved in and the dust settled. I was staring at what I was calling home. Dark paneling, 1200 square feet of cozy for this family of 5 with 2 Labradors. I had to pull up my big girl panties and say to myself that I can make anyplace feel like home, and went to work.

What can you do to make the biggest difference I thought? PAINT...I had watched enough HGTV to know that painting the dark paneling was the easiest fix. A fresh coat of white paint made a significant difference, it began to feel like a quite cottage vs. craptastic reseda reno.  

3 MONTHS TURNED INTO 7 ..


I would sit in the house and feel overwhelmed at all that transpired for us to be living there. It was pretty craptastic, I'm not gonna lie. If I told you the entire story your head would be shaking, like you gotta be kidding me....I kept telling myself, it was happening for a reason, it would all make sense at some point....

 I decided that the way I was going to change my mindset was to take 3 pictures a day of appreciation. no fancy lighting and cameras, just my phone camera + 3 things that made me smile. 3 things that might not make a difference to anyone else on the planet, but for me on that day, it did.That day was OCT 4,2014 my #Daily3 was born.... I began training my brain to look for the silver lining of each day.

Here was the first official post..
It was nothing exciting, morning coffee with coconut oil, dinner and enjoying some quality time with Mitchell while the little's were at practice. This was my transitional life that I was embracing...finding moments that made me smile.

 I made the commitment to myself to post everyday.....  What happened next was such a complete surprise.  I started receiving emails from people who had found my page and were thanking me... I thought to myself... why? I started these posts purely as a method to shift my thinking going through a sucky situation and somehow someway, it is touching others.... Interesting how life works....

After a complete renovation, we  moved into our current home The RNB (Rogers n Brachmann) in March of 2015.  I decided to continue to post since truth be told, it helps me stay focused on the good in my day to day life. Raising teenage boys, any children for that matter, can be challenging.... this keeps me focused on the good in each day. The re-wiring was a success! 

So although I was faced with living in that original cozy bungalow in Reseda Ca,with a 3 hour commute each day... something wonderful resulted....little did I ever consider that my daily 3's would make a difference in other people's lives.

This life has been quite a journey in all honesty.At 47, I am thankful where I am standing today.  My heart is humbled by the response of others. I am happy to know that my nightly posts have turned into something that others look forward to seeing.


I believe in the world of social media, my posts are different. I keep my daily 3 posts genuine to who I am and why it began. I would be lying if I said it was easy to find 3 things everyday... some days its tough..but all the more reason to find the positive and post. I am embracing this journey I have been given and continue to look for the silver lining each day.


I do laugh at times. I get posts from many different people trying to solicit me. Here is my info if you are interested. I am in private practice as a Certified Health Coach. I only take as many clients as I can balance with my own life. I received my training through IIN, I am AADP certified, I  have my 200-RYT and am a contributor to Mindbodygreen.... BLISS with Mac, Balanced Living In Small Steps is my practice. I don't sell any specific products or product line, I am not getting paid for any endorsements, if I post a product, it is because I believe and have used them .. I teach my clients how to find balance in their lives...teaching them about shifting their thinking...finding their own sweet spot...finding homeostasis.... we are all different...BUT.... there is one central idea that is universal....

 Water,Vegetables and exercise are good for you

Today I am happy to say that the upcoming launch of  the Daily 3 app is SOOO CLOSE... YES... DAILY 3 APP.... I will be posting more in then next few weeks about launch date. It has taken time to find the right people and whom I feel comfortable with to see this vision of mine come to life...I am looking forward to creating a community and watching the ripple effect it brings. 


Happy Birthday Daily 3's and thank you.  I am thankful that my mindset in day to day living has shifted. It continues to make my heart full when people who first meet me say I have such a great attitude! I am thankful for the people who have reached out and lives I've touched. I hope you begin to see the silver lining in your days as I have done mine. ...   I am so very grateful for those of you who have supported this journey of my Daily3 's these past three years, thank you.  

Time and again I am amazed at how everything truly happens for a reason. 

Wishing you all the best with Peace, Love, Blessings and Gratitude,

2015.. the blog that got me published, updated

Sept 19,2017

This blog post came up as a memory for me on Facebook from 2015...

I decided to re-read what I had written. It was my original blog that was chosen to be published with mindbodygreen. A few tweaks later, I was published.. such a whirlwind time..

2 years have past.

Much has changed yet much remains the same..

What has remained the same?
I am grounded in knowing that shifting my thinking changed my life. 
I continue to believe it is a gift that was given to me.
I continue to plant the seed of shifting your thinking to others. I believe when you recognize and find your gift, it is meant to be given freely...
***please be ready for some announcements in the near future about this:)***

What has changed?

Well, my mom passed away after a brief fierce battle with Leukemia. Her faith and her spirit amazed me until she decided to have her Irish goodbye and transition home in 2016.

Scott's passing does not come up as much in conversations now. After 6 years, I choose not to remember the specifics of losing him, rather the positives that came from after the aftermath. 

I am sharing this again because I believe that it is meant to help someone today. Maybe you have a tendency to look at the worst case scenario of things, maybe you have experienced some tragedy or health issues.... look for the silver lining...They could be dim... but it is there.

Much love from my heart to yours,

Sept 7, 2015


Shifting your thinking....

I woke up in the middle of the night last week with an idea. An idea that kept me awake as I tried to force myself back to sleep.I acknowledged what was happening, made a mental note of the idea and then I was able to fall back to sleep. That sentence will make sense in a minute. You see, this has happened to me in the past.

It first happened after my dad died in 1989. At the time I was 18, and I admit  I was freaked out after watching my father take his last breath and leave this physical world. I found it very difficult to sleep for the months to follow.

Several months later, I had a life changing conversation with a family member. Lola explained to me, not to be afraid of my dad making contact with me in my dreams. That I needed to change my way of  thinking. She went on to tell me it was a gift. I think I looked at her in utter disbelief, so she went on to explain that  he was visiting me, not to have me feel scared but to reassure. To know that his spirit was alive and well. That he would always be with me, while not in his physical body but in spirit.

That was a lot for my teenage brain to wrap my head around. Not gonna lie. That seed was planted and needed a lot of water.... 

Fast forward.

Scott died suddenly in the shower of a massive heart attack. My boys unfortunately found him with my dear neighbor.

I was in shock. It was devastating.

When people began to ask me how I was doing, Something shifted my thoughts. I would say to them this:

1) I am happy that the bad guys didn't kill him. That my boys will never feel the need to seek revenge.(having been in the Seal Teams for 21 years there was a possibility of this)

2) There was no question about if he suffered. The coroner said it was very clear he was gone before he hit the ground.

3) I couldn't imagine having to transport his body back from overseas. He had just returned from Africa 4 days earlier. He was home. I have a friend whose husband passed in Iraq. By the time his body was returned and an autopsy was performed, all tests proved inconclusive. She was left with no closure.

I focused on the silver lining of the shitty cloud I was under.

The shift in my thinking had happened without me even realizing. How and why I have no reason or answers.

It just happened. It was a gift.

When I meet people for the first time and they have been told the story, they look at me and say they are sorry. I think this is an automatic response. My usual response goes something like this, there is no need to apologize for what I have gone through. It has molded me into the person I have become. I did the work, learned valuable lessons and am far stronger and wiser than I ever could have imagined.

I had read a book years ago by Elizabeth Lesser called Broken Open. It is a powerful book with several short stories of people going through tragic situations. The premise was this, you can continue to live your first life.... or you can phoenix from the ashes of the tragedy and live a second life with meaning and purpose. Not forgetting the events, but using the knowledge one gains in those times to help others. 

Shifting you thinking

I hashtag #theshiftisthegift all the time on my social media. I am a firm believer that you can rise and phoenix, if you choose. Shifting your thinking does not have to refer only to when tragedy strikes. It can be usefully applied in day to day situations.

 I use the example of my mom. When she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid years ago,she was put on Lasix. A medication to decrease fluid retention. She had to pee a lot. She was letting me know how tired she was getting up and down having to go to the bathroom. I explained to her she needed to shift her thinking... She needed to think of transitioning from sit <--> stand as an exercise. It was an opportunity to get her legs stronger. 

At first she looked at me like I was a bit nutzo and laughed.Then she realized the logic. Now?... my mom does not mention the Lasix side effects. If anything, she tells me how many "squats"she gets in during the day!

I woke up the other night, with the idea of writing a blog about shifting thinking.I have come to accept my thoughts that come during my sleep as a gift from the other side, just as Lola explained so many years ago.

In truth, I am not sure why the idea came to me.I choose to trust my inner compass and my gut. I firmly believe someone out there in need of  guidance in shifting their mindset. Possibly this little blog of mine can make a difference.

Wishing you all the best,

oldest kiddo is now a driver... sweet jesus

Feb 22,2017

Life is so funny. I started this blog the day after my oldest passed his behind the wheel test.

I was in shock. I was stressed, had total anxiety... you know the whole nine yards..thinking my gawd... he's legal to drive alone??

When I write these blogs, it is typically a one shot deal. Put my thoughts down, press send and done. There isn't a big process here. It's me, my mind and probably many run on sentences...

The first attempt was started and for some reason(to which in truth,I don't remember why) didnt get posted.

So here, I will try again, this time making sure I push post...

Behind the wheel test Jan 30th...

I was trying to stay cool. 

I was hoping he would pass, then I was selfish and started hoping that he needed another month of me riding shotgun... I don't know we (specifically mom's) in general are ever 100% ready for their 1st born to drive without some underlying nervousness. It seems to me that the men I have spoken to about driving have far greater ease with teaching a young driver.... 

I sat patiently... He was in the car a long time after his test finished with the woman grading him.... I thought... oh shit... then this happened. I captured the moment on video.... 

You see, it started April 8th with passing the permit test.... I thought to myself, thank God he has to have his first 2 hours behind the wheel with a qualified driving instructor... I'm not going to lie, I had a hard time being shotgun... it was more about safety, teachable moments without losing my shit, which apparently I did quite a bit... I even bought "please be kind, student driver' magnets for the car....Which I have to say, helped tremendously with other drivers giving us space :)

But in my defense, when I feel like we are going to crash I feel as though it is acceptable to yell...Its not like we live in small easy town without much traffic. We live in a suburb of northern LA county... traffic, people riding your bumper, blowing through stoplights....

This was the first time he drove my big car home from swim practice...far different than the golf cart and the prius he had practiced in.....

Sweet Jesus... Not a born natural behind the wheel quite yet... but he passed...

So, it was time...

I was having some major anxiety... not gonna lie... I am the first to acknowledge that I am not the first to feel these feelings and I wont be the last. The path had been paved far before me. It's quite a milestone.. stepping into increased responsibility and adulthood....

Maybe the reason for the initial blog not posting was because I needed time... space to process my thoughts..... giving him time to him demonstrate responsibility....There has been a bump or two in the last month, I would be lying if I said otherwise....I am happy to report, no accidents or tickets have occurred.

These blog postings are about my life. If you are looking for blogs about my health coaching practice, um... you will not find it here... This is straight up my life, my thoughts and my journey...Ironically, I'm posting this on my dad's 98th birthday if he was alive... He's was my driving teacher... <3

Wishing you the best,

Holy crap 2017.
Jan 24,2017

truth tree...

Ok, in complete honesty, 2016 was a bit of a blur. At the beginning of the year, my energy and focus was toward taking care of my mom who had been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. She passed away April 15th, quite suddenly after being diagnosed 5 months earlier... 

The outpouring of love and support was humbling. Relationships grew stronger, love was felt deeper, the rainbows came from the rain.....

The rest of 2016 I spent focusing on self-care and my family. I put absolutely no pressure on myself to write about my healing process. It has taken me until now to want to put my thoughts down. Interesting really, it's Jan 24th. 

Life continues... this is true... we have 3 boys that all need time, energy and guidance...

Water polo season, Football season, driver's permits, licences, 3 in high school.... keeps us busy...

Steve and I trained + finished the Santa Barbara triathlon in August. My mindset had shifted, I didn't have a race mentality, trying to achieve certain times, my type A was shelved.  I enjoyed the whole experience start to finish. It might sound crazy but I smiled and took the whole event  as a complete gift. Every aspect of the day, was exactly what I needed. I was reminded of how incredible our bodies are.How we have a natural ability to heal through exercise, releasing those feel good endorphins... I thought about writing about my experience, but I didn't, for whatever reason.My training had paid off, but what I tend to remember most was how my heart felt.

After the tri, my focused went inward.I returned to my yoga mat. My first class back I broke down after class when I thanked the teacher. It was exactly what I needed, body, mind and spirit. Healing from the inside out.  You see, I have been the teacher when students thanked me in tears..How full circle this life is I thought to myself... and what a gift yoga is in my life....

So here I sit, typing in my office while I am having a leaky pipe jack hammered in my kitchen.... this is life...My life that I would not wish to change for  one moment . Well, it would be nice to change some moments, but what I have learned in my 46 years, those shitty moments are there for a purpose...

So why today? I have no idea. That is my truth. I think my love of writing is coming back. What does this mean? Maybe just maybe you might see more blogs posts about life as I know,see, live and learn through it. Until then, I'm still posting my daily 3 pictures of appreciation to keep my mental focus on all the blessings in my life. 

My updated website is up and running which makes me happy. www.blisswithmac.com

My idea for creating a daily 3 app is being manifested and happening....  www.blissdaily3.com

Looking at the sign in the front room that  I made in 2005, Embracing the journey is exactly what I continue to do...

Until next time friends, I hope you are healthy, happy and embracing the life you have been given. 

Much Love,

Low/high maintenance 2016

Today, I begin the day in what I call 'shlump-a-dinka' clothes.... The weather is changing, I am enjoying the cooler temps, bringing out some old favorite sweats that have been keeping space in my dresser....I started thinking about my low/high maintenance thinking.....I decided to update a  blog I had written about this topic and repost for those who are new to my page...

Low/high maintenance is a term I coined many years back chatting with my best friend Cindy. When it first rolled off my tongue, she looked at me and laughed. You see, I can come up with these Mac-ism's every once in a while. This one happened to stick.

So here is the thought behind the term. There are areas of my life where I am  really low maintenance. On the other hand, there are a few areas of my life where I  can be completely high maintenance. So instead of living in the land of medium, I'm Low/high or High/low depending on the specific situation.

Areas of low maintenance:

 CLOTHES, I enjoy shopping at TJ Maxx, Ross, Target all those discount places and I LOVE being able to find things on sale that I actually will wear.  I buy simple classic pieces. I don't  tend to buy trendy items, unless I  really love them. When it comes to clothes, I had on my bucket list to purchase a kick ass pair of expensive jeans. But, my favorite ones at the moment are my Gap boyfriend jeans.


NAILS, another area of low maintenance for this girly. I have pedicures  to keep my toes looking clean and polished, but my fingernails? I think I spent too many years at Mercy hospital outpatient physical therapy treating patients with manual techniques. Long nails are not my thing, would rather keep them on the shorter side.


HAIR, (is a two-fer for me, both low +high) I have lots of it. I've had many people take locks of my cut hair at the salon to try and match with their colorist. My hair is on the longer side at the moment and in all honesty, usually in a bun on top of my head. Between my brothers and I, I was given the gift of a seriously full head of thick hair. They unfortunately did not fair so well :0 It takes so much time and effort to get my hair looking cute. The only time I am guaranteed to have stylish hair is when I am leaving the salon.... Thank you Aliza Margolis for your talent and strong arms ....I will on occasion take a #daily 3 picture when I leave just to remember that I do have a cute cut and style. Here is the high/low flip side to that...... I have experienced some seriously shitty hair cuts in my day. I've even walked out with crooked bangs!... no joke.. so with my low maintenance day to day  approach, I am high maintenance about what stylist chair I choose to sit....and with that there are no coupon's and worth every cent ;)


Now, I think you are asking yourself, so tell me  about some high maintenance items Mac....

EATING OUT, this is tricky because part of my high category is that I am gluten and dairy free. I have learned over the years , what I can and cannot eat without consequences. I have learned to eat instinctively. I've learned that I don't have to order from the menu.  I  have asked the waiter on many occasions if I could order off the menu, since we are a family of 5 we have to feed all taste buds....I told him what I wanted and WA--LA....a delicious salad was served amidst the sea of hot wings and  I felt completely satisfied.

EYELASHES, what? yes, eyelashes. I get them tinted. You see I don't like wearing mascara daily. On the days when I taught hot yoga (105 F, 40-60% humidity) it would be a joke to even apply! So tinting, gives me dark lashes without the extra step of applying mascara.

SELF TANNER, again you ask what? Well, here is the scoop with this one. I am a natural red head who has hazel/brown eyes. I feel healthier and cuter with a little color in my skin... My skin tan's compared to those with blue or green eyes. That was great for me in my younger years, until I was diagnosed with melanoma in 1998 at the age of 28. After that, baking my skin in the mid-day sun was no longer an option..... So back to self -tanning, the  flip side of my HIGH to my LOW, I have tried  many brands over the years, some far pricier than others , and guess which one I prefer, Jergens and St Mortiz at the moment... go figure... nothing fancy....

It is quite interesting when you stop and think about where you draw your line in the sand. Sometimes, there is no  justified reason why you feel a certain way. What are your deal breakers and what are non-issues....

 I welcome you to take a few moments during the course of your day, and check in with yourself, take some mental notes of your own highs + lows maybe you will share, or maybe just maybe you will have a giggle and learn something new about yourself you never realized before..... 
\


Wishing you all the best,

#Daily3 turns 2 today!

Oct 4, 2014 is the day my Daily 3 's began.

I shifted my thinking and started looking for the silver lining in my day to day life. I decided to start taking a quick photo of 3 things I was thankful for everyday. It became my own online gratitude journal.

You see, when Scott died, a shift happened... when people asked me how I was doing I gave them 3 responses... 1)thankful the bad guys didn't kill him(being in the Seal Teams it was always a possibility) my boys do not have subconscious feelings of retaliation  2) there was no question about if he had suffered (the coroner said he was dead before he hit the floor with this heart attack) and lastly 3) I didn't have to think about bringing his body back from over seas, since he had just returned from Africa 4 days earlier...That was my blanket response.... 3 things.... why? I have no idea.... 

For those of you new to my page, I will give you a snippet on the who and the why...

My name is Macara Brachmann, I was widowed at 41. I reconnected with a boy(SR) that I had gone to high school with many many moons ago. He also had been widowed several years earlier. Our long distance relationship evolved into an amazing deep love that it is today . It is uniquely ours, 2 widows, 3 teenage boys and 2 Labradors (do I need to put in, plenty of crazy?)

Logistics:

SR and I had a long distance relationship...me in MN which had been our home for the past eight year and SR in CA. 

We decided it was time to live under one roof, so the big move happened in 2013 , returning to CA and into SR's home. It was never intended to be our second chapter home. Steve had lived is his home for 12 years and we agreed that we wanted the boys to be living closer to where they were going to go to school.It was a great house, but it was time for change. We started prepping the house to put on the market and started some serious house hunting. 

The next phase was where the whirlwind began. 

SR's house was a great house, so much so that he had an offer, FULL PRICE, ALL CASH + oh AND 20 DAY ESCROW!!! only being on the market 4 days!!!!

yup, SHIT HIT the FAN...

Life went into complete get'er done mode. You know what I mean, the panic of oh shit, 20 days to pack and find a house.... 

Well, lets just say, we didn't find a house in 20 days. We ended up moving into what I call a cozy original bungalow (can you read between the lines?) So original that we had one outlet in the kitchen! yup  circa 1950's.

Mentally, I knew moving into this place,  was only temporary.  I am a firm believer you can do anything you set your mind to. Living in the cozy bungalow with an insane commute to get the boys to school and their sporting activities,was only temporary I kept telling myself. I knew that we would eventually find our family home. It was a discouraging process but in retrospect necessary.

We moved into this cozy bungalow with the mindset, 3 months, we will definitely have found  our next home in 3 months....

After we moved in. The dust settled so to speak and I was staring at what I was calling home. Dark wood paneling, 1200 square feet, cozy for this family of 5 and 2 large pups . I  had to pull up my big girl panties and say to myself, I can make anyplace feel like home dammit. 

What was the easiest fix?.... PAINT!!!


I knew that painting the dark paneling was the easiest fix. A fresh coat of white paint went up and made a significant difference, the house felt cleaner, more like a quaint cottage. Or at least that is how I decided to spin it in my own mind.


3 months turned into 7... 

I would sit in the house and feel overwhelmed at all that transpired for us to be living there. It was pretty craptastic, I'm not gonna lie. If I told you the entire story your head would be shaking, like you gotta be kidding me....I kept telling myself, it was happening for a reason, it would all make sense at some point....

 I decided that the way I was going to change my mindset was to take 3 pictures a day of appreciation. no fancy lighting and cameras, just my phone camera + 3 things that made me smile. 3 things that might not make a difference to anyone else on the planet, but for me on that day, it did.That day was OCT 4,2014 my #Daily3 was born.... I began training my brain to look for the silver lining of each day.

This was my first post, I think to myself why didn't I start on Oct 1? Who knows.... Oct 4 was when my clarity of shifting hit.  It was absolutely nothing exciting... morning coffee with coconut oil, my dinner at the Habit and enjoying some quality time with Mitchell while the little's were at football practice....this was my transitional life... I had to find moments that made me smile.

I made the commitment to myself to post everyday.....  What happened next was such a complete surprise.  I started receiving emails from people who had found my page and were thanking me... I thought to myself... why? I started these posts purely as a method to shift my thinking going through a sucky situation and somehow someway, it is touching others.... Interesting how life works....

After a complete renovation, we  moved into our home The RNB (Rogers n Brachmann) in March of 2015.  I decided to continue to post since truth be told, it helps me stay focused on the good in my day to day life. Raising teenage boys, any children for that matter, can be challenging.... this keeps me focused on the good in each day. The re-wiring was a success! 

So although I was faced with living in that original cozy bungalow in Reseda Ca,with a 3 hour commute each day... something wonderful resulted....little did I ever consider that my #daily3 could make a difference in other people's lives.

Last year was #daily3's 1st anniversary!

this was my 1 year post... we were driving down the  I-5 back to Agoura after being in Stockton for the weekend. Not super exciting, I know, but again, this is my real life, it is not always rainbow and unicorns! Although we did have rainbows and tutu's that day :)

This life has been quite a journey in all honesty.At 46, I am thankful where I am standing today.  My heart is humbled by the response of others. I am happy to know that my nightly posts have turned into something that others look forward to seeing.

It has become a bit of a joke with the kiddos, the novelty as they say..." is all over rover".... They are not wanting to be tagged.....I think in the pretend world of social media +Instagram, I don't have the staged pics or a ton of followers..... 

Here is the good news, it doesn't matter to me! 

I am keeping it genuine to who I am and why it began....I would be lying to you if I said it was easy to find 3 things everyday... some days its tough... but all the more reason to find and post..I am embracing this journey I have been given..looking for the silver lining... that is always there...

I am not going to dive deeply into the benefits of bringing gratitude into your life in this post,I will save that for another time.  What I will say is this, when you bring the habit of gratitude into your life, changes happen....

here are just a few:

• stronger immune systems + lower blood pressure
• more joy + optimism
• sleep better

I do laugh at times. I get posts from many different people trying to solicit me. Here is my info if you are interested. I am in private practice as a Certified Health Coach. I only take as many clients as I can balance with my own life. I received my training through IIN, I am AADP certified, I  have my 200-RYT and am a contributor to Mindbodygreen.... BLISS with Mac, Balanced Living In Small Steps is my practice. I don't sell any specific products or product line, I am not getting paid for any endorsements, if I post a product, it is because I believe and have used them .. I teach my clients how to find balance in their lives...teaching them about shifting their thinking...finding their own sweet spot...finding homeostasis.... we are all different...BUT.... there is one central idea that is universal....

 Water,Vegetables and exercise are good for you

So today, I say Happy Birthday Daily 3's and thank you. I am thankful that my mindset in day to day living has shifted. It continues to make my heart full when people who first meet me say I have such a great attitude! I am thankful for the people who have reached out and lives I've touched. I hope you begin to see the silver lining in your days as I have done mine. ...   I am so very grateful for those of you who have supported this journey of my Daily3 's these past two years, thank you.  

I am looking forward to what this next year brings. I have a feeling good things are coming in 2017 ;)


Health and Happiness,

mother's day 2016, wowza

today is the Saturday before Mother's day 2016. it is overcast with some off and on drizzle, which makes for a day lounging in comfy sweats.

our house is quiet. 

My older son is at a birthday sleepover tonight. I felt unsure about agreeing to him going. 

You see, Mother's day has always been a special day for me. It is the one day since the boys have been old enough when they make me breakfast. I could  always hear them banging around in the kitchen , with big smiles on their faces full of pride for a job well done with the finished project. They worked together and it made my heart swell with love. 

When we lived in MN, my mom living next door, would come over in the early morning hours to assist when they were too little to be in the kitchen alone. Jack was always the ringleader...a week in advance, he was planning with my mom. Mom would inevitably have a chuckle or two shaking her head..... but never revealing.... like one year, I received a 4 toast toaster.... because jack thought it would be easier for me to toast at the same time instead of one of them waiting!!!

Mother's day 2015 was the start of my moms downward health spiral truth be told. She took a hard fall that day, at my home. In all the years I have practiced physical therapy, I have never had a patient fall , let alone that hard on my watch.... ugh.... Over the next almost year, she waged many health storms... somehow was able to  pull through each  ... As my brother described mom's health as  Rubicks cube -like... many moving pieces....

I as most women, wear many hats. My most important job for the past year has been taking care of my mom. I believe my years of working with the geriatric population in Rochester MN primed me. My faith overflows when I stop and take a step back reflecting  on how God prepared me with the tools to support her this past year. 

Mothers Day  2016. It is my first mother's day not having a mom to celebrate. My mom passed away April 15th after a courageous 3 1/2 month battle with Leukemia. Although she was ill, the disease did not touch her spirit. Her passing was unexpected but expected if that makes any sense. Lets just say, her Oncologist went to visit her the next day, only finding out she had passed during the night! 

this is how the conversation went:

"Macara, Dr. Menco".... pause....

"I came to see your mom..... what the hell happened?"

me:

"Dr. Menco, she passed last night..... I asked the nurses to contact you..."

"I guess you were not  notified"

"I don't think she wanted hospice"

yup...

I choose to believe her faith was so strong, she chose to go home. Not having the need to hold on, she was not frightened of what the afterlife would hold. Steve said it was her Irish goodbye. Not wanting to say her final farewells. I know I will see her again in the spirit world but until then I look for the signs she is here with me.

Mother's Day feels different this year. I know that with time, I hope to have it feel special again. This year, I will undoubtedly have some heavy-heartedness with her absence. I look forward to watching my boys and their cooking skills on overload.... trying to lift my spirits. 

For those of you who have moms that are living, appreciate and treasure the moments you have. As corny as it sounds, each day is a gift. For those of you whose club I have joined, my heart is wrapping around the idea right now.... cherish the memories, remember and share stories that make you laugh.

For all of you new to my blog, I would like for you to know it is just me, putting thoughts down. I don't blog about my health coaching or yoga here. It is about my life, my journey.

                  celebrating her 84th on March 30th


we took countless selfies on Christmas Eve, She just laughed because she never knew where to look!



This blog is dedicated to my mom, Terry Monroe. She lived an amazing 84 years. I want to share some of her favorite sayings:

Hidey-ho, Toodle-loo Dear Heart, May I make a suggestion..Don't borrow trouble, I'm not ready to go dancin and her hands down best....
 See ya around the campus kiddo...