Enlightened with Elaine

12/26/2025

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

12/24/2025

Christmas is usually the one day a year I love waking up to a fresh blanket of snow… ❄️
But instead of being sad that about the lack of it, we leaned into the gift of nature and these surprisingly balmy temps.

A peaceful morning walk with the boys through the fish hatchery 🌿
A chicken stuffed and on the smoker for dinner 🍗
A slow afternoon, a crackling fire, and nowhere else we need to be 🔥

Soaking in the stillness, the togetherness, and the simple moments.
A beautiful way to begin the holiday—and gently close out this year. 🤍✨

12/20/2025

🎄✨ I almost didn’t do my annual Christmas goodie bag for my students this year…

With the economy the way it is, I debated skipping it. Saving a buck here and there feels necessary for so many of us right now.

But I am so glad I didn’t.

Each of my middle school kids picked one small item:
🌀 A fidget
📓 A journal
🍬 A pack of gum
🥩 A beef stick
🍔 A small McDonald’s gift card

And what happened next absolutely warmed my heart.

One kiddo shared that their parents don’t have much for extras—so this gift meant a lot.
Another explained how gum helps them feel calm (chewing = heavy work and helps regulate the nervous system).
One asked if they could take both gift cards so they could take their sibling for a Happy Meal 🥹
Journals were chosen for drawing, writing, expressing feelings… every item had meaning.

Not one child grabbed something without purpose.
They knew exactly how they would use it.

💛 Small gestures matter.
💛 Regulation doesn’t have to be expensive.
💛 Connection is the real gift.

If you’re a parent, educator, or caregiver wondering how to support kids’ mental health—sometimes it’s not the big things.
It's the positive words.
It’s the small trinket.
The snack.
The journal.
The feeling of being seen.

❤️ EnlightenedWithElaine 💛

12/19/2025

Decided to try the trend but made it more me! Did you give it a shot? Post yours below!

12/19/2025

🎄🧝‍♂️ Do you do Elves in your house? 🧝‍♂️🎄

We’ve slowly done less and less Elf days each year (because… life 😅).
This year we committed to 7 Days before Christmas✨

OF COURSE… I went to grab the elves and 🫠 no clue where they are.
(What happens when you pack up most of your house in July and can’t find half your Christmas stuff by December 🎄📦🙃)

No elves in stock anywhere…
BUT ✨✨ Good ol’ Snoop on the Stoop with next-day delivery came through 🙌🐶

Snoop officially graced our house tonight with a 🌿🐍 jungle adventure and surprised the boys with JUMANJI 🦁🎲
Let the chaos begin 😆

Can’t wait to see what adventure he brings tomorrow 👀🎄

12/17/2025

💚❤️💚❤️

❤🎄

12/16/2025

Exciting news for Spinal Energetics practitioner Kourtney O'Reilly!

12/16/2025

🎶 A small moment that taught me a big regulation lesson 🎶

Our family has an eclectic music profile.
I tend to gravitate toward hip hop & R&B.
One son loves classic rock.
Another is all about country.

We used to take turns choosing the music in the car… and honestly?
It often led to conflict, complaints, and overstimulation because someone didn’t like what was playing.

Then one morning, my youngest asked me to turn the radio to “67.”
I did.
It was jazz.

And surprisingly…
✨ no one complained
✨ the fighting softened
✨ the car felt calmer
✨ it became a soothing background instead of something competing for attention

Everyone just listened.

🧠 Did you know jazz can be helpful for ADHD and sensory regulation?

Because of its: • predictable rhythm
• lack of lyrics (less cognitive load)
• warm, steady tones
• gentle stimulation without overwhelm

Jazz can support: ✔️ transition times (like getting in the car or starting the day)
✔️ homework and focus
✔️ emotional regulation
✔️ concentration without overstimulation

It’s now one of our favorite go-to’s for car rides to and from school and even for starting our mornings with music.

Sometimes regulation doesn’t look like silence…
It looks like the right background sound 🎷

💬 What kind of music helps your household feel calmer or more focused?

12/15/2025

🤍 11 years 🤍

Tomorrow marks 11 years since we lost my sweet mama. This date lives in my body every year — beginning in late November when she entered the hospital and was told she needed open-heart surgery, and ending tomorrow with the phone call that forever changed my life.

Truthfully… I knew before I knew.
I called her that morning on my way to work. She didn’t answer — which was unusual. She didn’t call back. I called again. And again. Then my grandma called, and in that moment, everything I already felt was confirmed.

I can replay that day and the days leading up to it so clearly. The days and months after, those are a blur, as grief so often does to our minds. 🕊️

This weekend, while posting a photo of Eli and I from Lunch with Santa, Facebook shared another memory. There I was… in the same sweater I wore that day, her sweater. The one I wore to a Christmas party 11 years ago.

What you don’t see in that photo of John and I is what we were looking at, my dad taking the picture, and my mom laying in bed, freshly home from the hospital, hopeful for healing. She was clutching her heart-shaped recovery pillow and snuggling her 2-month-old grandson, Degan. 💔👶

Photos like that take me right back. And while the grief still lingers and always will it is now joined by joy. Joy in remembering how deeply she loved being a grandma to Neely and Degan. Joy knowing how thrilled she would have been to meet and love all the grandchildren who came after.

Though she is no longer here in body, she is still with me and all who loved her in her words, her recipes 🍪, her spirit, and even a few pieces of her clothing. I tell my boys often: I am always with you. You are a piece of me, just as I was a piece of my mother, and she of hers. We carry one another forward.

And that brings peace.
Peace knowing she lives on through me, and through the love, stories, and traditions we continue to share. 🤍

If you are missing a mama or a loved one this holiday season, hold tight. They live on through you, too. Cherish the memories, the moments, and the love that still surrounds you. You are not alone 🕯✨️

12/14/2025

Love this!

12/13/2025

Eli and I were up before nine this mornijg baking the gingerbread we prepped the nighte before!

Baking with my kids is one of my favorite traditions ❤️
Yes, it’s messy. Yes, there’s flour everywhere.....but the fun qe have is so worth it!

Its also so good and grounding for our nervous systems. Rolling dough, kneading, stirring thick batter, these are all forms of heavy work, which gives deep pressure input and helps kids feel grounded and regulated. It can calm busy bodies, improve focus, and support emotional regulation—without anyone even realizing it.

Plus, it creates connection, confidence, and sweet memories. 🍪

12/12/2025

✨ Holiday Traditions & Family Recipes ✨

This time of year always brings me back to the simple things—family traditions, familiar smells in the kitchen, and recipes that hold so many memories.

Growing up, my mom was famous for her Chex Mix. Family gatherings, holidays, drop-ins with friends… everyone knew if she made it, it wouldn’t last long. ❤️

Over the years, I’ve taken on that tradition myself and slowly made it my own. It’s one of those snacks that only comes out a couple times a year—and I truly think that’s part of what makes it so special. There’s something about saving certain foods, moments, and traditions just for this season that makes them feel extra meaningful.

As a therapist, I often talk with clients about how traditions—big or small—can help us feel grounded, connected, and comforted during busy or emotional seasons. Sometimes it’s not about perfection… it’s about presence.

✨ What are your favorite family holiday traditions or recipes passed down from loved ones? I’d love to hear what makes this season special in your home. ✨