Hi {!firstname_fix}

Thank you all for the very kind feedback about the mountain story. It makes me smile.

This week I am giving you some ideas for Halloween. Let me know if you have others. I am intentionally sending the newsletter out early this time so you can use the weekend to implement some of the ideas.

Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see.

A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, use the link at the bottom of the page. Do not email me, do not get mad at me, just click on the link and you will be forever removed.

And be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery® website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen

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October 25, 2004

** Quote From Kathleen **

Your journal can become the heartbeat of your program.

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** Testimonial for the Week**

My sweet, wonderful, clueless dad said something to me a few weeks ago about me needing to use my bowflex and treadmill more. LOL.

I said that for the first 10 years of my adult life I abused my body with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, too much work and not enough sleep.

The next ten years of my life I abused my body with drugs, alcohol, childbirth (thankfully not all at the same time) and eating disorders.

For the past three years I have been healing. It's gonna take me a little while longer to make up for the previous 20 years.

I liked the look on his face when I coughed all that out. A bit surprised, he was. I love that honesty and being able to stick up for myself comes with radiance.

Vicki L.

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**Some Thoughts on Private Consultation**

A number of you have asked me about doing a private consultation. I thought it might be helpful to give you some guidelines. Here are the best times to do it:

Once you have read one of the books and would like to know what is best for *you* in getting started
If you get stuck and don't know why
If you have some special concerns and want to refine the program to address them
If you are concerned about your weight and are ready to do something about it
If you would like ongoing support
If you have a problem with alcohol or drugs and would like to design and do a detox program
If you just plain want to have some help to make your work more focused and efficient

If you want to set up an appointment, fill out the assessment form and send it back. Then follow up with Joanna at 505-345-3737 to make an appointment. She is way more detailed than I and will make sure you get on the calendar.

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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**

I have started the *special needs* tutorial on weight loss in the chats. I am excited to finally be able to make sense of and share the complexity of what I have been learning for the last year in a simple way. And most exciting, I am doing it with spectacular results. I am thrilled to be losing weight easily, with no deprivation and lots of energy. I feel like I have added the capstone to the house we have been building and how wonderful is that! I am also setting up a pilot work group for the weight resistant folks who are ready to rock. We sure are having fun!

http://www.radiantrecovery.com/YLD_signup.htm

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**Radiant Ambassadors**

My twins came home last night from babysitting and were just horrified that the mother told her two little kids, 4 and 2, that they didn't have to eat dinner if they didn't want to, they could just have snacks and that they do that all the time. They also told me the mother was questioning them about Grace's diet and the twins explained to her the importance of eating meals especially with protein! Then the mother said, "yeah, I guess I need to start doing that." You gotta love 'em.

Janie

If you love the program, consider joining the ambassador group. We are having a blast!

Come find us among the Online Groups

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**David's Corner **

Kathleen and Vancouver

Kathleen went to the Northern California Independent Bookseller's Trade show and found all sorts of great resources. We have added a bookstore to the store. Kathleen's picks are in and are ready for you. We have cookbooks and dog books, LOL, in addition to all her books.

Come check them out. I have been looking at those cookbooks. I might even get a few for myself, especially that quick and easy one.

And the dog books are great! One of them is about Canine Companions for Independence and the above picture is of Kathleen with Vancouver, the dog she trained. I remember when she was doing that. We have a book that tells his story.

Please send questions and suggestions for items you might like to see in our store. YOU are building our store. Tell me what you want and we will sort it out.

Thanks
David

And of course, we have something for everybody in our store

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**Featured Topic**
A New Look At Halloween
by Kathleen DesMaisons

Many of the parents originally felt stumped by Halloween, the Queen of all sugar holidays. But they are getting creative. Vicki is making changes in the treats she offers:

Last year I bought little things, like pencils, cheap Harry Potter glasses, the Halloween long scary fake fingernails, things from the birthday gift aisle at Wal-Mart, etc. and put them in little gift bags tied with a ribbon. My son helped me put them together. We just did a few each night for about a week. I spent a little more than I would have on candy, but I didn't feel guilty about handing them out. I gave a bag to a few friends' kids and they loved them, so I am assuming that the kids at the door liked them too.

Here are some other goodies our moms give out:

Small packets of pencils
Microwave popcorn from Costco
Small toys from Oriental Trading Company (you can buy these on line or through their catalogue)
Small bags of pretzels
Small bags of Goldfish
Packets of cheese or peanut butter crackers

Gail actually “buys” her girls’ candy - she purchases the candy from them in exchange for cash, which they use to buy things they really want, like music CDs. She got a number of the other parents intrigued by this idea. Vicki liked it a lot:

For the past two years, I have bought back my kids' candy. I will give them $15 each and they would much rather have the money than the candy. Originally, I let them pick out 5 pieces that they could have with meals, but not all at once. This year I am going to tell them that I will buy all their candy for $20. Even the five pieces is making me uncomfortable now. Of course that doesn't mean they won't sneak some while they are out trick-or-treating, but at least I am making a dent!.

Melanie now does a sugar-free Halloween party with finger foods and games. She holds a costume contest and then the kids all make jack-o-lanterns together. No one even thinks about the candy any more. Maggi does the same in a big way:

I decided that we would make our Halloween tradition about the pumpkin carving and the costume. That way, there is a special trip to pick out the pumpkin, carve it and eat dinner in the dark by pumpkin candlelight on Halloween. The other thing I had always wanted to do was to teach my son how to sew -- he picks out his costume, we go to the fabric store, pick out patterns, he chooses the fabric and we sew it together (that means I do 90 percent of the work, and he sews a few straight seams, pins the pattern and pins fabric...). This has worked great, as he has costumes for dramatic play that are really nice that he uses all the time throughout the year. The costumes this way are a little pricey and very labor intensive for mom, but his cool midnight blue with silver trim wizard costume will be treasured for many years.

Janie raised yet another alternative. She and her family simply are simply not going to do Halloween.

We decided we are going to go to the Grand Canyon! We will stay a couple of days and then drive the whole way back on Halloween. So we will miss the stupid holiday all together and not have to worry about it. I will, of course, talk to them about all the fun we will be having on our trip, and all the fun things we will be doing instead of trick or treating.