Enlightened with Elaine

02/04/2026

Trying the trend.....chat pegged me pretty well! Let's see yours!

01/28/2026

Happiness isn’t just a feeling—it’s chemistry. ✨
Small, intentional actions can create powerful shifts in your mood and well-being.
Which happy chemical are you boosting today?

01/28/2026

🎉 POP Fundraiser Kickoff! 🎉

Our boys’ school is raising money to support ALL Specials (PE, art, music, STEM, and more!), and a portion of the funds will also be donated to Eleanor’s Pantry, our local food bank. 💛

The boys are excited, working hard, and can earn some fun prizes along the way! Every donation — big or small — truly helps.

If you’d like to see the video they watched at school, you can check it out here:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oUnx6sYsc4

Thank you so much for supporting our kids and our community! 🙏

Https://app.pop4kids.org/Cause/48719372/K1M1122?share=gs

Degan H. and Cade H. are doing a fundraiser with Paw Paw Later Elementary School and need(s) your help! We’re raising money for Special teams at Early & Later ES, and helping to support Eleanor's Pantry. Please donate to support and help Degan H. and Cade H. reach their personal fundraising goal.

01/20/2026

🚨 Immediate Therapy Appointments Available 🚨
Enlightened Counseling & Wellness has openings now for virtual counseling throughout Michigan.
✔ No waitlist
✔ Multiple therapists available
✔ Bilingual therapist on staff
✔ Convenient, flexible scheduling
If you’ve been thinking about starting therapy, this is a great time to take that first step.
📧 Contact.ecwellness@gmail.com
🔗 https://msha.ke/ecwellnesskzoo

01/03/2026

How do you welcome in the new year? Do you create a vision board? Do you make resolutions? The last few years i've been choosing a word and my word of the year is

ALIGNMENT ✨

Not hustle.
Not perfection.
Not “push through.”
Alignment.

Choosing what feels right in my body, not just what looks right on paper.
Letting go of what drains me, even if I once loved it. Building a life that supports my peace, my people, and my purpose.

This year I’m asking myself one question before every yes:
👉 Does this align with the life I’m building?
If not, it’s a no and i'm okay with that.
Do you pick a word for the year? Id love to hear it 🤍

01/01/2026

2025 started out pretty grand, then slowly became daunting—filled with tough obstacles and hard decisions. We made the choice to sell our home with hopes of moving back into our kids’ school district and finding “water” of some sort (a lake, a pool… any water 😅). But a loaded market, an expensive economy, and a few other factors delayed those dreams and, at times, left us feeling a bit defeated.

I also made the difficult decision to close my beloved office space—something I had dreamed of for years before it was ever created. As much as I loved it, it was taking more from me in many ways than it was giving back, and it no longer felt like the right fit for this season of life.

And yet… here I am. Sitting in my new home office, surrounded by pieces from that space I loved, in a home that—if we could just move into district and add about 10 acres—would honestly feel perfect. And I’m filled with gratitude for 2025.

The struggles remind us to let go of what no longer serves us and to lean into what brings us peace. The work I do, in a space I love, surrounded by the energy of the people who matter most, is exactly where I’m meant to be right now.

I’m stepping into the new year with a heart full of hope, peace, and love—and feeling optimistic about the lessons 2026 will bring. 🤍

Happy and blessed New Year, friends. ✨

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

💚❤️💚❤️

❤🎄