Shownotes
Ever walked into your living room only to find your kids have transformed it into a giant coloring book—with permanent markers?
In this episode, I share one of those real-life mama moments where school stress turned into wall art chaos… and how we used it as an invitation to pause instead of panic.
You'll learn about MIA™—Mindful Intentional Anchor, a simple “Mommy & Me Tea Time” reset ritual that helps turn meltdowns into mindful moments. You’ll learn how a small, consistent anchor can shift the energy in your home from overwhelm to calm, even on the most chaotic back-to-school days.
Whether you’re dealing with wall scribbles, after-school meltdowns, or just the everyday noise of motherhood, this episode is here to remind you: the mess isn’t the end—it can be the beginning of connection.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- The real story of how a “permanent marker disaster” became a breakthrough.
- What MIA™ reset is and how to make it part of your day.
- 3 simple ways to use tea time (or any ritual) to bring calm after chaos.
- Why small, mindful pauses matter more than perfection in parenting.
Timestamps
0:00 – Imagine coming home to a wall full of doodles [ on your wall] …
0:48 – Pin-poking frustration turns into chaos at home
1:32 – Permanent markers meet living room walls
2:05 – The Mommy & Me Tea Time reset: our first MIA™ moment
2:42 – From “oh no” to a calm ritual with tea
3:15 – Welcome to The Anya Garcia Show + why I left law for motherhood
4:00 – Parenting doesn’t come with a manual (and that’s okay)
4:45 – The truth: you don’t need more, you need alignment
5:25 – Introducing MIA™—Mindful Intentional Anchor
6:00 – Meet Mia™, the playful character who makes mindfulness fun
6:30 – Running the MIA™ ritual through BMAT, “I Don’t,” and QRS™ techniques
7:05 – Final reminder: small resets create big calm + Compass Circle invite
5 Key Takeaways from This Episode:
1️⃣ Even chaos has a message. What looks like wall scribbles or meltdowns is often just stress or emotion needing release.
2️⃣ MIA™—Mindful Intentional Anchor—turns “oh no” into calm. A simple pause, like tea time, can reset the energy for the whole family.
3️⃣ Presence matters more than perfection. Kids don’t need flawless days; they need parents who show up with intention.
4️⃣ Simple rituals > complicated fixes. A warm drink, a shared snack, or a mindful breath can soothe more than grand plans.
5️⃣ Your alignment is your child’s anchor. When you model calm, curiosity, and compassion, your child learns to do the same.
Resources & Links
🧭 Join Mamas' Compass Circle™ where you will find support, monthly content, and practical tools for moms craving calm, clarity and confidence. No pressure. Just presence.
⚓️ Navigate with MKAPtains Kids Activities Club – Get a done-for-you Monthly Activity Plan that makes learning hands-on and fun—so you can spend less time planning and more time playing!
🎓 Let’s Do This Together - You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. With over a decade of experience helping parents worldwide, I’ve mastered how to simplify homeschooling to amplify your child’s growth—without the stress or overwhelm.
Follow Anya Instargram.com/MontessoriFromTheHeart
📚 Research & Sources Mentioned
- Fogg, B. J. (2009). A behavior model for persuasive design. In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology (pp. 1–7). ACM. [BMAT Method]
- Baumeister, R. F., & Tierney, J. (2011). Willpower: Rediscovering the greatest human strength. Penguin Press. [“I Don’t” Technique – reclaiming power over distractions]
- Montessori, M. (1967). The Absorbent Mind. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. [Montessori principles on independence, mindful parenting, and early childhood development]
- Garcia, A. (2025). QRS™ Technique: Question, Reason, Story. Original framework introduced on The Anya Garcia Show.
- Garcia, A. (2025). MIA™: Mindful Intentional Anchor Reset Ritual. Original framework introduced on The Anya Garcia Show.
🌟 SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
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Here’s how: Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Tell me what resonated most—I love hearing your biggest takeaways!
🎙 Thanks for tuning in, and I will see you next time!
Transcripts
Imagine coming home to find your living room walls turned into a giant coloring book, courtesy of a couple of very creative kids and some permanent markers. It was the first week back at Montessori school, and my son Adrian had this big task pin-poking 17 states of the United States on his map.
If you have ever done pin poking, you know it's a lot of focus and those little fingers get tired. Well, by the time he got home, he had a tiny blister and a whole lot of frustration from all that careful work.
By the time we got home, that little bit of school stress turned into a whole new kind of chaos. I walked into the living room and found that the kids had discovered the permanent markers. My living room wall had become their new canvas.
Colorful doodles and scribbles everywhere. It was one of those moments every mom dreads, wondering, how am I going to fix this? But that's where our Mommy and Me Tea Time, our MIA™ moment, comes to the rescue. We turned that rough day into a cozy ritual and felt a little calm together.
We gathered everyone around, took a deep breath, and turned that moment of oh no into a little island of calm with a cup of tea. And just like that, you turn a marker-covered disaster into a reset moment for everyone. And that's what I want to share with you today.
How to create your own MIA™ to help your family find a little calm in the back-to-school storm. Hey, my friend, and welcome to the Anya Garcia Show.
Here we will explore the science of learning, the art of parenting, and the mindset shifts that help you simplify your journey to amplify your growth. You see, I thought I would find purpose in courtrooms until motherhood showed me it was waiting at home.
So I traded my attorney briefcase for the beauty of homeschooling, depositions for diapers, and settlements for sensory play. I stepped off the legal path so that I can walk it with you.
Because parenting doesn't come with a manual or legal briefs, so no wonder it can feel overwhelming and messy. But I see you showing up every day, even when no one is watching. And that little voice, am I doing enough? I hear it too. But here is the truth.
You don't need more to be enough. Because more doesn't create peace. Alignment does. Progress matters more than perfection. And when you stop doubting, you start leading with confidence.
And before you know it, you have created a space where you and your child thrive. Because humans are born with this natural desire to learn and grow. And I am here to help you harness that. Your child's potential is limitless.
And so is yours. We just need to unlock it. So as we wrap our Back-to-School theme, let's explore the idea of creating what I like to call MIA™.
MIA™—Mindful Intentional Anchor. Think of it as a gentle pause, a small ritual that weaves a thread of calm into your day. It's not another chore. It's a meaningful moment to help your family flow more smoothly.
And to make it fun, let me introduce to you a little character, Mia™. Picture her with bright red ponytails and a wardrobe of colorful patchwork clothes, just like a walking rainbow.
She's got a warm smile and a twinkle in her eyes as she brews a soothing chamomile lavender tea, pouring it into bright mismatched mugs. Every time you think of MIA™, she's that quirky, joyful friend turning mindfulness into a bright little adventure.
So, since this is our last episode in our “let's manage the chaos of Back-to-School” series, let's review the three techniques I so far shared with you. Do you remember the BMAT method, which stands for Behavior = Motivation Ability Trigger?
Then we talked about the “I Don’t” Technique and reclaiming your power and the Line Time. And finally, I shared with you the QRS™ Technique: Question, Reason, Story.
So now let's take our Mommy and Me and MIA™ technique and run it through each of the three I had shared with you before. Ready. Flow Reset—the BMAT style.
Think of this tea time as your motivation to create a joyful little pause, keeping it simple: a favorite snack, a warm drink, and maybe a timer at 3:30 pm to remind you it's time to reset. Do you remember the next one? Presence Power-Up—the “I Don’t” Technique. When distractions creep in, channel your inner calm and say, “I don't get distracted during this moment.” This is your time to be fully present, to really savor that connection.
And finally, Pause and Power-Up—the QRS™ Technique. If someone is a bit grumpy, pause and ask yourself what's really going on. Use that as a chance to show your kids how to handle those emotions gently, turning a tough moment into a teaching moment. So here it is. Your MIA™—your Mindful Intentional Anchor—is that little ripple that brings more ease and presence into your day.
And if you would love more of these tips and a supportive circle around you, come join us inside the Compass Circle. We would be thrilled to have you on this journey.
Okay, my sweet friend, I will see you next time. And don't forget to click that subscribe/follow button—whatever you have to do so you don't miss any episodes. And if what I share resonates with you, share it with a friend. They might need a little reminder or mindset reset. I'll see you next time.
