This morning, which is Tuesday when I am writing this, I put my arm around my four year old and asked her if I could talk with her for a minute.

She responded by inviting me to join her watching pretend Minnie Mouse tv. I joiner her. We curled up on her couch, she let me push the buttons on her pretend remote, and we watched pretend tv together.

After a couple of minutes, I asked if I could say something and she said yes.

“Remember how we moved nine months ago from California to Israel? Remember how it was hard? Remember that we had to figure lots of things out and we didn’t have a routine or a home at first? Remember how it was hard? It is going to be hard again these next couple of weeks. And I want you to know that you can ask for my help, my attention, and my hugs anytime you want. Okay?”

She nodded and she hugged me.

Mentally preparing myself for our international flight, moving, settling into a new routine, and problem solving all the bumps along the way MAJORLY helps me internally manage my stress.

Letting my four year old in on the plans as well as mentally preparing for the challenges helps her emotionally too.

Expecting and accepting the hard parts of life, even planning for them, can drastically change our physiological stress. It is possible to feel more or less stressed about a situation in our life depending on what is going on in our minds.

By the time you are reading this email we will be in the air flying to California. It is a bitter sweet moment. Sad to say goodbye to dear loved ones in Isreal and happy to say hello to our dear loved ones in California.

Oh life.

With Food and Mood Love,