Deck Review- Decks For Youth

The Gummy Bear Tarot

The next few Tuesdays, I'm going to be reviewing tarot decks for the younger set and the first deck I'd like to introduce is the absolutely adorable Gummy Bear Tarot by Dietmar Bittrich and available from US Games Systems. This is a a very wonderful deck for beginners, young at heart and a great teaching tool for kids.

This seventy-eight card deck features the precious little Gummy Bears all set in traditional Rider Waite poses that most of us learned when first beginning to read the Tarot, however, the images are a bit more simplistic in their appearance and these little darlings make for a wonderful first deck for children and pre-teens.

The cards themselves measure 2" x 3.5" and are marvelous for those small little hands to shuffle. The card stock is of the same US Games stock and not too thick but not too thin as to bend easily as kids may be just learning to shuffle as well as read tarot. My daughter had a very easy time shuffling this deck and quickly deemed it her favorite deck that she has seen to this date, not to mention the hints that she might want to have this for her own use. 

The Gummy Bear tarot comes packaged in a wonderful little keepsake tin with the standard LWB (little white book) of meanings accompanied by the strengths and weakness of each card and are presented in a way to be easily read by young readers. On the backs of the cards you will see sixteen bears in four rows of four, in the bright and bold colors of blue, green, red and white and can be read upright or reversed. 


The Gummy Bears cast their magic spells, wield their wands, and delight in reaching out to people through the mischievous imagery found in each card and don't forget, the holiday season is coming up before we know it and this deck would make the perfect gift for the child or the child at heart

US Games Systems

ISBN: 1-57281-471-3
Artist: Dietmar Bittrich

Serenity Sunday

Hope is the thing with feathers

"Hope" is the thing with feathers --
That perches in the soul --
And sings the tune without the words --
And never stops -- at all --

And sweetest -- in the Gale -- is heard --
And sore must be the storm --
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm --

I've heard it in the chillest land --
And on the strangest Sea --
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb -- of Me.

Emily Dickenson






My List:


1.) My kids


2.) Seeing my kitties on their webcam


3.) Hecate


4.) Hope


5.)The beautiful autumn colors


6.) Ficus trees


7.) Grandchildren


8.) Dreams


9.) The gift of imagination


10.)  Hardy water lilies

Serenity Sunday

The Leaves

The leaves had a wonderful frolic.
They danced to the wind's loud song.
They whirled, and they floated, and scampered.
They circled and flew along.
The moon saw the little leaves dancing.
Each looked like a small brown bird.
The man in the moon smiled and listened,
And this is the song he heard.
The North Wind is calling, is calling,
And we must whirl round and round,
And then, when our dancing is ended,
We'll make a warm quilt for the ground.


Anonymous




My List:

1.) My kids

2.) Watching my kitties on their webcam

3.) Cool autumn nights

4.) Packages in my mailbox (Goodies from Magical Enchantments....coming
soon!)

5.) Wonderful comments ( I  love reading them all, they  brighten my day!)

6.) Fresh coffee

7.) My sewing machine

8.) Breakfast in bed

9.) Laughing with my best friend

10.) Patchouli incense

What's In Your Purse?

I was rummaging through my "purse/bag/carry everything" the other day and suddenly had the idea to see just what things I had in there that I kept juggling around to get to what I acually needed. So I dumped it all out on the couch and started itemizing my inventory. The results are as follows....

*My wallet- that's a necessity of course, need that license with that really bad photo on it just in case I need to identify myself.

* A pair of fingernail clippers and toenail clippers- I hide them here so I don't have to interrogate the children about where they went.

*A tin of Altoids- Gotta have fresh breath if I happen to run into Mr. Right in the produce isle at the grocery store.

*My tarot cards- For that on the spot reading that I may be asked for...hey, maybe Mr. Right has an issue that he needs resolved....

*Lighter- Yup, a nasty smoker type I am! Seems the cure is more expensive than the habit lately...

* Reading glasses- Just can't see that fine print anymore, must mean I am older than dirt after all.

* Moisturizing eye drops- To put in my eyes when my contacts dry out, usually after squinting to see that pesky fine print.

* My watch- Probably should wear it so I don't have to hear that I go by PST (pagan standard time...)

* Spare key for the house- In case I lose my car keys somewhere and don't wanna explain to the swat team about why I'm breaking into my own house.

* Quartz crystal- Hmm, not sure why that's in there but you never know when you might need a little clarity I suppose.

*Spare change- Lookie... the children must not have found that yet...better leave it in there for now.

So, that's what I found...not really sure what that says about me...I used to have a lot more in there but it got so heavy I had to whittle down it's contents in order to avoid dislocating my shoulder. Anyhow, I'm going to contemplate that thought for a while while you all run out and see just what's in your purse....

Serenity Sunday

This last week we implemented a plan for the children in the hopes that our combined environment would become more peaceful and organized....So far I am very happy to report that this system has worked out rather well and the children are going with the flow and adjusting nicely. My number one observation that has resulted from this past week has been that children love structure, they crave it as a matter of fact. The schedule of specific times for specific activities has given them a better sense of security as they are all aware of what their responsibilities are as opposed to wanting to be in control of things that are being taken care of by the adults in the household.

Although our two families come from different backgrounds, my roommate Coral and I do share the same history of parents with addictions. Things were very chaotic when we were growing up and therefore we decided long ago to break the unhealthy cycles and patterns that had been passed down from generation to generation. It's had it's difficult times but with hard work and a lot of patience things are going to be alright.

My list:

1.) My children

2.) My friends

3.) My cats

4.) Learning from past mistakes

5.) My willingness to let go and let the Universe handle it

6.) Time for myself

7.) The scent of the air after a rainstorm

8.) Finding the positive in a negative situation

9.) Knowing hope is always present

10.) Seeing joy on another's face

Behavioral Modification?

In my house life can be somewhat chaotic because between my room mate and I, we have four children several cats and two dogs. The children range in ages 12 years old to 8 years old and as all children are...each has their very individual personality. We have one bathroom and three bedrooms and space is at a premium as one can probably guess with only one bathroom and three little girls (poor Conor is the lone boy in a house of women) our mornings are completely and utterly insane. As you may have guessed I am heading into the deep murky waters of just how to get along with each other and up to just yesterday...it has definitely had it's hairy days and hazy grey areas. Anyhow, we all sat down the other day and decided that the stress had to be removed from the house and we were all going to brainstorm ideas in order to ensure the smooth sailing of each individual that lives here.

One of the issues that we had been dealing with was the lack of personal space and personal privacy...take the telephone for instance.....One of my greatest pet peeves is being in an important conversation and have one or more children vying for my attention and as they do I notice that the loudness level slowly increases until I stop my conversation and address the child(ren) involved. My tolerance level immediately drops and I find myself turning into what I like to term "mommy dearest" and when all said and done...I'm rather disgruntled and crabby and unfortunately that feeling would follow me into dinner time and even as far as bedtime which inhibited my ability to unwind myself and get to bed at a decent time.

Our solution will now be that the child(ren) that insist on this behavior will immediately go to the table and sit quietly and respectfully until the adult that instructed them to do so believes that said child has sat there and successfully and completed their time... then they are called aside and this behavior or attitude is discussed and understood as to why this was inappropriate and the best way to avoid future issues. If it happens again, then a toy or privilege will be removed and they must earn it back.

So far the results of our brainstorming session and resulting modifications in our lives has had an immediate and positive result and I can personally say I'm absolutely thrilled that at the end of the day I am not ready to run screaming from the house pulling out my hair and bedtimes are blissfully calm and peaceful. I hope that this endeavor will continue to pay out in respectful, responsible and well rounded children....but just in case, I have an emergency suitcase ready and waiting by the front door....

Serenity Sunday

GRATITUDE:

Gratitude is an emotion that occurs after people receive help, depending on how they interpret the situation. Specifically, gratitude is experienced if people perceive the help they receive as (a) valuable to them, (b) costly to their benefactor, and (c) given by the benefactor with benevolent intentions (rather than ulterior motives).
(From WikiPedia.com)


My list for today:

1.) My children

2.) My friends

3.) WikiPedia.com

4.) Sunshine and rainbows

5.) My incorrigible kitties

6.) Cute animal pictures

7.) Fresh brewed coffee

8.) My electric blankie

9.) Ceremonial sage

10.) Good neighbors

Serenity Sunday

Last week seemed to just drag for some reason, I'm not entirely sure why but my meditation this morning cleared out a lot of the junk that's collected from everyday stuff and I feel a bit more inclined to be thankful for all the blessings in my life.

1.) My children

2.) My cats

3.) My roses that are starting to bud..."c'mon Mother Nature!"

4.) Chai Spice coffee creamer

5.) A cashier that smiles and says "Have a nice day".... while making eye contact

6.) The new wet/dry vac I just bought

7.) My tattoo is almost healed....yea! ( now for the rest of it to be finished)

8.) Pink Floyd

9.) Good friends

10.) Real butter

I know some things might make you want to question my sanity but it's real butter that just seems to make everything taste better.