The Wake Up and Dream Catalyst: The Power of One Positive Thought

           
Here's another shared post from my CoupleTime.net blog, where I share simple easy recipes to enhance your relationships.
     Today's recipe is slightly different. Current research in psychology has proven that resilient people tend to be positive thinkers. They tend to see the glass half full rather than half empty. One way to fill that glass is to practice thinking positive thoughts, one small thought at a time. Read on for the recipe...

Need An Intimacy Boost? Prepare Our Recipe for a Love Martini

Need An Intimacy Boost? Prepare Our Recipe for a Love Martini

July 1, 2016

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Melissa Glaser, MS, LPC and Dr. Barbara Lavi

 Here's another post from my new blog. I hope you like it and will share with others! Have a great holiday weekend!

   I must admit that as a psychologist, when Melissa sent me the photo for today's recipe, I was a bit worried. I spend too much time in my practice helping families battle the impact of alcoholism to have ever written about martinis on my blog, The Wake Up and Dream Catalyst. However, when I looked at this recipe, it became clear that this martini needs no alcohol to produce the desired effect of intimacy, joy and pleasure. You can serve this Love Martini as often as you like without worries of addiction. read on for the recipe...

Love Martini

Prep Time: Make a date with your partner for a few hours of quality CoupleTime

Ingredients:

• 1 oz of Excitement
• 2 oz of tenderness
• 4 oz of passion
• 4 oz of sexy feelings
• Several pinches of tender touch
• Your best glasses

Directions: 

     Fill a shaker with cool tenderness. Pour in excitement with thoughts about a long, sustaining future. Add in sexy feelings and passion. Shake all the ingredients together till you leave your stressors behind.

While pouring the martini, strain out any interfering thoughts andwatch your partner’s expression of joy. Garnish with your tender touch.

Enjoy sharing the sweetness of the moment with your partner

     Sometimes we need to leave the cares and responsibilities of the world behind, to clear our minds in order to enjoy fulfilling intimacy.  Giving yourself permission to focus on the physical connection with your partner is a great gift for both of you.  Relax, unwind, and get high on connecting with your partner.

     If you find this post helpful, please share it on social media with your friends. We'd also love to hear how this recipe helped you and your partner reconnect after a difficult day!

Passion Fruit Compote: Bring Romance Back Into Your Relationship With This Recipe!

Here's another recipe from the CoupleTime.net The Joy of Loving Relationships Soulmate's Cookbook. 

     If you and your partner have been lacking intimacy, it’s time to disconnect from the virtual world into which we constantly immerse ourselves. This scrumptious recipe will help you bring back the romance. Lock your IPhone in a drawer. Instead, of staring at the phone or the computer, lock eyes with your partner over a soothing, candlelit dinner.  Recent studies have shown that social media is destroying our society’s social skills because it reduces face-to-face interactions. Use the delicious, de-digitalized dish below to communicate and connect with one another the old-fashioned way!

Candlelight Passion Fruit Casserole 

       Prep Time: 1 - 2 hours of uninterrupted couple time

       Ingredients: 

               * Candles, 

               * 1 tablecloth, 

               * Dinner,

               * Soft music,

               * No cell phones, tv, iPads or other    distractions,

               * No children (make sure they are in bed),

               * Heartfelt listening,

               * Sharing the highs and lows of your day, 

               * Element of surprise (optional) may help make this recipe more exciting

       

Directions: 

Schedule a date with your partner, prepare or purchase dinner, set the table with your best China, tablecloth, flowers and candles. Turn on soft romantic music and light the candles. After dinner slow dancing (optional). 

If you use this recipe, feel free to share a selfie and/or let us know how it worked. We'd love to hear from you! If you'd like to get more recipes like these, sign up to follow the blog. As always we hope you will share this with friends as well! Have a great week.

CoupleTime.net: Must Have Recipe To Avoid Conflicts With Your Lover: Hot Cross Buns

Thought for the Day: In the last post, I shared a recipe: Say Cheese All Day, Keep The Therapist Away, the first in a series The Joy of Loving Relationships for CoupleTime.net, The Relationship Spa. I hope you tried the recipe and will share your results. +Krishna Patel shared her results earlier this week: "I tried your recipe today morning while he was leaving for office. First he got confused and than gave me a tight hug and left for office. Thanks for a wonderful recipe."  Today’s post was written by my partner at CoupleTime, Melissa Glaser, MS, a Master's level licensed professional counselor with over 25 years of experience working with couples and families. I’m sure her recipe for Hot Cross Buns will be a helpful addition to your favorite relationship menu. We hope you will share this with your partner and friends and let us know how it helps.

Hot Cross Buns

Time involved: 7 minutes

Ingredients:

                       -   1 comment or interchange that rubs you the wrong way
                       -   Patience
                       -   Thoughtfulness,
                       -   Restraint, and
                       -   A dash of humor

Read on to learn how to make this recipe...

Say Cheese All Day, Keep The Therapist Away

This post is part of a new series related to a new project, I am involved in, CoupleTime.net. I will be sharing recipes for healthy relationships on a regular basis. Please let me know what you think of these posts. Feel free to share the recipes with friends and family just as you do food recipes. These are food for your soulmate & you!

  Everyone knows the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." I know it may seem ironic that a psychologist would suggest that saying cheese would keep the therapist away, but if CoupleTime.net is successful I hope it will help prevent couples from needing to see therapists. Don't get me wrong, I am a staunch believer in psychotherapy to help couples overcome crisis in their relationships. However, Melissa and I decided to develop CoupleTime.net as preventative medicine for healthy couples to enhance their relationships. The weekly tips here will be easy to follow recipes to keep you and your soulmate satisfied, happy and connected. The first recipe is an appetizer, Say Cheese Bits. Read on to get the recipe...

Motivational Monday: Is The Key To Happiness Hiding In Your Closet

Is The Key To Happiness Hiding In Your Closet?

Thought for the Day: I never cease to be in awe of the creative process. Inspiration often comes in strange ways. Today's post proves that even mundane chores or tasks we dislike can be inspiring. I've always struggled with trying to keep my closets in order. Every few months, I get frustrated when things get disorganized and I try to rearrange things. The order lasts for a while but the disarray inevitably returns. In drawers, I can't see what I have, so when I pull things out my order becomes a mess. On shelves things never seem to fit properly. Eventually, what were neat piles start falling down. 

     Therefore, about a week ago when I saw a teaser on Facebook that said, "A video on how to organize your closets will change your life," I was intrigued and clicked to view it. This is not a post about how to organize your closets, but the 3 minute clip taught the viewer to fold clothes so that you could store them tightly stacked them so you can see every item, even in drawers. I watched and decided to try the technique.

       Now, not only can I now see all the clothes I have, I was able to consolidate things and have more room in my closets. You may be wondering, "What does cleaning and organizing a closet have to do with psychology, inspiration, motivation or happiness?" Read on and you see that the key to happiness may have be hiding in your closet. 

#FF Friday's Fabulous Finds: New Toys That Can Help Solve Some of Society's Problems

Thought for the Day: I have been neglecting my blog and decided to start posting again. Life has been busy, but I will try to make time for writing. Play is undervalued in our fast paced competitive society. Child psychologists are acutely aware of the importance of play both as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool with children. Throughout life, play is an important means of reducing stress. As I see it, today's finds may play a significant role in solving some of society's serious problems. Their impact will take time, but what children play with and how they play with one another can influence what kind of adults they become. 
       Perhaps we need some robots to solve our political problems like the one above that can put the rubic's cube together in seconds. If some of our politicians (without naming names) had played with the new lego toy, they might be less critical of differences. Do you have any suggestions of toys that might help reduce prejudice and open conversations about disabilities? Feel free to offer your ideas.

        I am personally glad to see the new Barbie dolls. Growing up, I was adamant to be called "Barbara," not Barbie. The Barbie doll image embarrassed me even as a child. Maybe they should give the dolls a few different names as well. Will these new dolls help reduce the numbers of girls worried about how they look? Or the number of women unhappy with their appearance? 

       The practical simple suggestions by a parent who is also a teacher may be helpful to you as well in disciplining your children at home. 

       Finally, as the snow from the last storm is melting, snow art with kids seems like a great way to think positively! Do you have any positive games or art projects that have helped you parent your children? I'd love it if you would share them here (photos welcome, too).

#FF Friday's Fabulous Finds:

Lego brings us the 1st figure in a wheelchair This is a great way to help children learn about disabilities and open conversations with them about how they can help one another. 

Barbie's got a new body. Hope this will help girl's develop more positive self esteem,  & reduce diagnoses of body dysmorphic disorders, anorexia and bulimia in our society: 

Here's an article with some helpful ways to discipline your children. 6 Tips from a teacher on how to disciplining children:

A creative way to think positively during snow storms from Oasis Advanced Wellness: 

Here's a list of ways to help your kids get published:

http://imaginationsoup.net/2016/01/12/writing-contests-kids-ways-get-published/