At twenty-two weeks pregnancy is in full swing. People are comfortable in assuming and asking my due date based on the small basketball that now rests at my middle. And after a rough start I am happy to say I am up a whole five pounds! 

Now in the second trimester I have been having a few more "good" days as far as being able to eat. The flip side is that the pregnancy insomnia and irrational nightmares have kicked in. I experienced the same with my first daughter so it is no surprise. The other night I dreamed it was day two and I had forgotten to nurse the baby at all and because I had waited so long she no longer knew how. I got a good chuckle from that one when I woke but during the dream I was pretty stressed. 

I am a good mom. I'm not super-mom or anything but I do my best and my first daughter seems to be turning out alright so far. I realize there will be big adjustments for all of us when the new baby arrives and I will admit to a little trepidation about how I will handle it in the midst of lack of sleep. I also pray that this child will be a better sleeper than my first daughter was and we can make it all the way through the night before eighteen months. On the other hand, here I sit at two am so if it's genetic I guess the finger can point at me.

The beauty of this stage of pregnancy, besides the obvious benefit of getting able to eat a little and laugh about silly dreams, is all the activity going on inside my belly. The acrobats this kid can do feels amazing. Ok, well it doesn't always FEEL great, but emotionally it feels amazing! I love feeling her stretching and turning this way and that. I love picturing in my mind what she looks like and looking forward to seeing her sweet baby yawns when she arrives. 

Will she look like my first daughter? Beautiful and perfect and nearly bald. How accurate is the "heartburn causes hair to grow" saying? Perhaps this kid will be born with six inch curls. Most likely she will have blonde hair as that is the majority of the family DNA and if it is long there is a good chance it will be "styled" in the family "mullet" that runs in young children in my family. No matter what she will be one of the most beautiful things I have ever laid my eyes on. 

I'm grateful for this stage in pregnancy. I'm grateful for some good days and the ability to eat and put on a few pounds. I'm grateful for an app that tells me she is now as big as a papaya, even if I don't really know how big that is. I'm grateful for foods that help heartburn and help calm the stomach. I'm grateful to be growing and to have my beloved baby bump. I'm grateful to feel my little acrobat moving all around. I'm grateful for the miracle of pregnancy and the blessing of being able to carry a child. I'm grateful to know what a gift this is and how lucky I am because I know so many women who have struggled, including myself in the past. I'm grateful for my amazing daughter that calmed my fears about having a girl and paved the way for sheer joy at having another girl. I'm grateful to know I am a good mom. And I'm grateful to trust I will be able to go back to bed and get a little more sleep before morning.

What events in your life do you consider miracles? What has challenged you and made you a better person? What are you deeply grateful for today?

May today remind us we are so much stronger than we feel. May we remember that our success rate in surviving challenges is one hundred percent. And may we find beauty and gratitude in every situation. Have a beautiful day!

Today is National Little Red Wagon Day and it will be the perfect weather to take my daughter's little red wagon out to the park. While the love of these kid transporters is timeless, the actual little red wagon has come a long way in features and function since I was a kid.

When I was little they were metal with small sides and flat bottoms. They held up to some pretty rough adventures too. They grew to be plastic with seats the fold and smooth edges. And now they have a variety of different features, including my daughter's that folds up so it can fit easier in the back of the car for parades and park playdates.

While the hills of our neighborhood, and driveway, make the wagon a little more daunting than the stroller it is still fun to pull out and enjoy. Trips like our playdate today benefit as well because tired friends can ride along. 

I'm grateful for the nostalgia of the little red wagon. I'm grateful for all the memories I have using our wagon, which was neither red nor little but rather a beautiful wooden one. I'm grateful for the memories I have of using friends' metal radio flyers and all the iconic movies that feature this classic kids toy. I'm grateful for how far they have come in features and convenience for parents. And I'm grateful for a nice day to go to the park and enjoy some time outside, with or without the wagon.

Do you have any favorite wagon memories? What is your favorite childhood memory?

May today provide time to appreciate the little things. May we remember the fun we had as children and incorporate some play into today. Have a beautiful day!

(No, this blog is not an advertisement and I don't get any endorsements. The picture is of a Radio Flyer because that is the wagon my daughter and her friends all seem to have.) 

I am naturally an anxious person. I try my best to keep it in check with breathing techniques, mantras, and a grounding myself. What I have found is that when I physically slow down my anxiety goes down as well.

This is not always easy to do in a world that moves in fast-forward. Getting my daughter ready for school, me ready for work, and a resistant seventy pound dog into a kennel can leave me a little frazzled. And I am noticing it disrupts my daughter's energy as well, leaving her both more hyper and more defiant.

But it doesn't have to go this way. It is a choice that is mostly on me. I have been choosing to stay in bed because I am tired despite being awake earlier with monkey mind. I have been choosing to let my daughter sleep in, knowing this means I will have to rush her through breakfast. And I have been choosing to not make the time in the morning to meditate but rather waiting until afternoon when most of the day has already been rushed. 

Yet happiness hides in slow motion. Rushing through the day means rushing right passed and right through all the things that bring me simple joys. Rushing breakfast means not getting to hear my daughter's thoughts and interpretations of what is happening in her world. Rushing out the door means less snuggles and more resistance and anxiety. So today I choose happiness. Today I choose slow motion.

I did not want to wake at 4:30 this morning, but my mind was off to the races. Rather than fight it and try to sleep I got up and did a long guided meditation. Rather than stress when my blog editor wouldn't load, I took the time to rest my eyes and picture how this morning would go, in slow motion. Rather than let my daughter sleep in just to rush her through the morning I will wake her with cuddles. And with breakfast already made, there will be plenty of time for being in the moment with her.

I'm grateful to recognize how my choices were misaligned with what I want. I'm grateful to start bringing them back to what's important. I'm grateful to consciously choose to slow things down. I'm grateful to know myself, my triggers, and my best tools for balancing these challenges. I'm grateful for guided meditations that give me something to focus on when my mind is off to the races. I'm grateful for weighted blankets that help me ground and calm my energy. I'm grateful to recognize how my energy affects my daughter's and see her own resistance to living in fast-forward. I'm grateful to give us both the gift of slowing down. And I'm grateful to find easy solutions to accomplish this. I'm grateful to see happiness is already peeking through as I choose to take my time.

What areas of your life need to be slowed down? What simple techniques do you use to increase happiness? 

​May today remind us life isn't a race. May we take a breath and take a step toward living a happy life in slow motion. Have a beautiful day!

Yesterday afternoon I was having one of those moments wondering how long this stage of defiance and tantrums is going to last with my two-year-old. She has quite the strong will and is too smart to be duped by some of the usual tricks I used when working with preschoolers. In fact, much of the time I find myself questioning if I was just duped.

I reached out to a group of friends that have similar aged kiddos for some moral support. They agreed it can be exhausting and one was having a similar start to the week. About an hour later an article came through one of these mamas' email about what no one ever told the author about the "terrible twos". The article was all about how much she loved this age because of all her toddler COULD do and say. 

I have never liked the term "terrible twos". When I worked with kids the age of about eighteen months to about three or four was definitely my favorite. I loved how they explored their world and how they interpreted it. I loved the things that would come out of their mouths. I loved how big their hearts were and how fast they learned. So I had to ask myself, what is different?

The obvious difference is the twenty-four hours always on of being a mom versus the school day hours. The difference is lack of sleep and quite honestly, probably some pregnancy hormones playing in there too. But most of all, the difference is what I have been choosing to focus on.

My daughter is awesome. She is smart and funny. She learns so fast and keeps me on my toes. She interprets her world out loud and demands an audience, but honestly, I don't think I would know what to do with a quiet house anymore. I love her interpretations. I love her imagination that is now fully blossoming in ways that blow me away. And best of all she has reached that stage where she says, "I love you" back and needs an extra bedtime hug and tells me she missed me while I was at work. 

Hopefully next time we are in the thick of one of the challenging moments I will be able to take a breath and remember that this defiance is part of this awesome age. Hopefully I can remember to guide and teach through these moments instead of getting frustrated. And hopefully I take the time to tell her all the wonderful things I love about her at this age instead of getting stuck on the word, "stop." 

I'm so grateful for my mom friends who are always there to vent, share stories, and laugh together. I'm so grateful for this article that came through at the best time. I'm grateful to take the time to read it and realize how my own attitude and focus is half the struggle. I'm grateful to see how awesome and fun this age can be when I embrace it for the learning and growing stage it is. I'm grateful for every hug, every kiss, and every "I love you, mommy" that my daughter blesses upon me. I'm grateful to know she loves me unconditionally even when I lose my temper and I am grateful to commit to making sure she knows I love her unconditionally as well. I'm grateful for every funny, clever, innocent, and yes even stubborn thing our of her mouth because I realize that some parents never get to hear this sweet blessing of their child talking. I'm grateful to be so blessed with such an amazing child.

What has been challenging you lately? How can you change your own focus to see the benefits of this struggle and the light it brings to your life?

​May today remind us to take a step back when we are in the thick of it. May we see the big picture and focus on the best in every situation. Have a beautiful day!

I had the best of intentions this weekend, while my daughter was off at her grandparents'. I was going to get some projects done around the house, catch up on sleep, and take some time to reconnect with my husband. 

While the house got cleaned and I did get to spend a lot of time reconnecting with my husband, sleep went out the window as usual. It got pushed to the bottom of the priorities. And as Monday rolls around again I find myself exhausted.

Growing up we are encouraged to listen. We are reminded to listen to our parents, teachers, and anyone older offering advice. But often we forget the important lesson of listening to our bodies, our hearts, our own instincts.

One challenge I have found recently is the heartburn of this pregnancy is exacerbated if I lie down within one or sometimes even two hours of eating. The nap time window in our house is pretty narrow these days and nights that I end up eating dinner late, either from waiting until I am home from work or finishing a project around the house, means bedtime will be late as well. I have compensated as much as possible by sleeping in a little later than I am used to or at least resting. 

This weekend I had a setback as my heartburn got so bad I was physically sick. And as date night rolled around it would have been very easy to just say "there is nothing worth eating". Instead I sat and listened for a minute. The only thing that sounded good was a ginger salad, like the ones from good sushi or hibachi places. Sure enough, my heartburn and nausea cleared. My body knew what it needed and I just needed to clear out my thoughts long enough to listen.

But the lesson is bigger for me. Yes, it is a good reminder to listen to my body and follow through with fulfilling its needs. Yet there are other areas I need to be practicing my listening as well. We have been working with our daughter to say, "excuse me, can I talk now?" rather than interrupting or making noise over our conversation. It is a basic need to feel heard. And to feel heard, someone has to be listening. 

Life moves pretty fast these days. Taking time to listen to the people we care about is so important. Taking time to listen to our own needs is important. And sometimes, reconnecting to this art takes more practice than we realize.

I'm grateful to take time to stop and listen to my body this weekend. I'm grateful to see the immediate results and be reminded of how much my body knows about what it needs. I'm grateful to make listening a priority this week. I'm grateful to have my daughter home again. I'm grateful to listen to her need, as well as my own yesterday, and just take a nap with her. I'm grateful to drift off holding her sweet hand and wake to the soft, deep breaths of a peaceful toddler. I'm grateful to give her that time and comfort she needed. And I'm grateful to give myself that gift as well. I'm grateful to see how many ways listening is important. I'm grateful to be teaching my daughter how to listen, or at least pause in talking. But I'm also grateful to give her the words to remind the world that she has something to say and a need to be heard too. I'm grateful for a social and productive weekend. I'm grateful for a good reminder as I head back into another busy week.

What is your body telling you? Who in your life is needing to be heard? How can you practice the art of listening this week?

May today remind us that being quiet can be just as profound as saying something wise. May we listen more than we speak and follow through with what our body is telling us. Have a beautiful day!

I'm off to a great start this morning! I slept well and slept in which felt great. But what makes it truly a good start is waking feeling loved.

I got a kiss from my husband and exchanged "I Love You"s. While this always happens at some point in the morning he is usually still asleep when I get up. Sleeping in has an added benefit I guess. 

I reached over for my phone to check on what special "holidays" today holds and found a text from my brother drinking out of his "I love my sister" mug. What a beautiful, loving message this morning! I have a great brother, who despite us both being adults, I still look up to and adore.

The little sweetheart in my belly is bouncing around this morning too. What a wonderful feeling to feel so much love for someone I have not met yet. I am so blessed to have not only this child but my older daughter as well.

My older daughter is catching on to the phrase, "I love you so much!" It just fills my heart as she gives huge hugs and wants to say it right to my face, eyeball to eyeball. There is no shortage of ways this kid makes my heart swell each day.

Today I get to spend time out in nature with my daughter and a wonderful girlfriend I haven't seen nearly enough lately. My wonder-lust already has me excited about being out in the beautiful Spring atmosphere with two ladies I love.

And to top it off I get to go out with another set of girlfriends tonight to celebrate the birthday of one of my amazing girlfriends. She had been such a blessing to my life as our daughters are close in age. She has such a big heart and I am so excited to celebrate with her!

I'm grateful for such a beautiful start to the day. I'm grateful for the messages of love from the people I love most. I'm grateful to know how truly blessed I am each day. I'm grateful for the amazing family and friends that bless my life. I'm grateful to get outside and celebrate this new season. I'm grateful for girlfriends and the amazing, powerful friendships they provide. I'm grateful for my daughters and how my heart has swelled in ways I could not even imagine before. I'm grateful to have an amazing husband and to get to wake next to him each day. I'm grateful for a big brother that has taught me so much and still takes the time to think of me as he heads off to work in the morning. I'm grateful to wake to all this love and to know that it is with me always.

What helps you feel loved? How much time do you get to spend with the people who mean the most to you? 

May today remind us to reach out and tell the ones we love we are thinking of them. May we accept and bask in the love given to us from the ones we love. Have a beautiful day!

Last night as I drove home from work the moon shone bright. It lit the road and seemed to provide a calm comfort to my thoughts. I even took a minute to pull over in a parking lot and just look at her beauty, try to capture it with my phone camera. 

I find myself rushing a lot lately. I find myself anxious about being late even when I am not late. And I find myself distracted in my rush. 

Last night taking two minutes to reset and gaze at the beauty of the moon helped. I didn't guilt myself for being two minutes later from work because I had gotten out a few minutes early and in theory my child was already asleep. The reality is that I allow that guilt to run my thoughts too often. Even without these justifications I am worth the two minutes to reset.

When I got home I was needed. My daughter had a tummy ache and it needed mommy snuggles. More than that I think the transition back from Spring Break to our hectic schedules has just led to needing more reassurance and snuggles in general.

When I take the time to slow down we all benefit. Whether it is taking that half hour to stop at the park and just be in the moment with my daughter instead of rushing to the store or the few minutes to myself to clear my own mind; it benefits all of us. It is a lesson that repeats over and over for me. Perhaps I can hold on to it long enough to make it a habit this time.

I'm so grateful to spend time playing at the park yesterday. I'm grateful to get out even in the chill and fog to have that quality time with my daughter. I'm grateful to be the only ones there making it that much more special. I'm grateful for what a good helper she is as we run around doing errands or cleaning the house. I'm grateful for how patient and easy-going she is at such a young age. I'm grateful to take time for myself and for the beauty of the moon calling my attention. I'm grateful to come home and provide snuggles. I'm grateful for the serenity all this provided that allowed me to get a good nights sleep. And I'm grateful to wake carrying yesterday's reminder with me heading into the new day.

What brings you serenity? How do you take time for yourself? What do you enjoy doing?

May today remind us to slow down. May we find serenity and balance as we move about our day. Have a beautiful day!

There are so many events today that fill me with joy and give me the opportunity to reconnect with nature and spirit. The Spring Equinox has arrived! Not only does this officially mark the first day of Spring but it also represents balance as day and night are split equally.

We have moved out of the "dark" days of Winter and daylight hours will go from equal today to begin outnumbering the nighttime hours each day as we progress through summer. While I look forward to nice long, sunshiny days I am equally happy to breathe in this day of balance. It reminds me to take a look at my life and find which areas are needing rebalanced as well.

The first day of Spring is just a reinforcement to me of seeing the flowers come up in my garden. We are moving forward. The warmer temperatures have arrived and will continue which, for me, means a lot more outdoor time. This connection and ability to get into nature for longer periods really renews my spirit. In addition, tonight is providing a Super Moon as the moon appears huge during a Full Moon. Oh how I love the night sky!

Today is also International Day of Happiness. This is to commemorate the first UN meeting on happiness and promote the global happiness movement. For me it is a reminder to find little ways to incorporate the things that make me happy into each day. I love arts and crafts, for example, so how can I add a little art or art appreciation into today? Being in nature makes me happy so how can I take time today to reconnect with the beauty of the great outdoors? Giving to others or helping bring a smile to someone's face makes me happy. How can I spread joy today?

What makes you happy? How can you add a taste of that into each day? How can you spread happiness? 

I'm so grateful for this beautiful day packed with beautiful messages. I'm grateful for ample reason to make it outside today. I'm grateful Spring has officially arrived and I'm so grateful for the equinox balancing daylight and nighttime. I'm grateful to take time this evening to peer up and admire the moon. I'm grateful for the flowers coming up in my garden. I'm grateful for a day to recognize the importance of happiness and reflect on what I can do to increase the joy and balance in my life. I'm grateful for this day and every day I get to spend walking this path with the ones I love.

May we take the time today to reflect on how to bring balance and joy to our lives. May we take the steps necessary to implement a plan and walk our path with joy and gratitude. Have a beautiful day!

As I sit here staring at my computer screen I feel like a complete zombie. Too many nights of lack of sleep combine with another headache make me want to just crawl back into bed despite the obligations of work, my daughter's school, and just responsibilities in general.

This is where many people would grab some coffee, I imagine. I don't drink coffee and never have. I have used tea on occasion but the caffeine makes me feel jittery and sends me racing which I would prefer not to do, especially when pregnant. But there is one substance that can give me a gentle boost of energy, oxygen.

I'm not talking about the stuff you get in Colorado that is high oxygen. I am actually referring to air, breathing, sucking in big breaths of what makes this planet the best planet in the solar system. But here is the funny thing about big breaths of air; it can be used for both relaxing me or waking me. If I take some deep, slow breaths I would be back to sleep in two seconds. But if I do fire breathing or increase my breath depth with laughter it has the power to energize. 

Now, am I going to do this right now? No, or at least not very loud, because everyone is still asleep and I need a little time to get ready myself before my family enters the equation. For example, a full shower would be nice before there is a toddler running around or hollering that she needs to go potty. (Though I will take the beauty of her being nearly potty trained any day and will absolutely jump out of that shower to get her there in time.)

But laughter can be my tool throughout the day to re-energize and also remind myself to have a positive perspective. None of these struggles I face today compare to the daily struggle some people life with and I choose to create this day with a positive attitude. Laughter helps me with that...even when I lean toward the english dry humor. 

It helps that today is National Let's Laugh day. Hopefully other people will be joining me in laughing off some of the things that may make us grumble of a different day. It helps that "pregnancy brain" gives me lots of situations to laugh about and plenty of opportunities to laugh at myself. Yesterday I sat in a drive-thru for ten minutes before realizing there was no one in the two cars in front of me and the drive-thru was apparently a non-functioning one now. Ten minutes of me consciously telling myself I was going to model patience and chatting with my daughter before realizing this. I will admit to some annoyance that there wasn't a sign but also had to laugh at the ridiculousness of how long it took me. 

Even if we can't laugh at ourselves in some situations we can always just laugh for no reason at all. There are even practices like Laughter Yoga to help you get started. So give it a try, let go today and just laugh. 

I'm grateful for laughter. I'm grateful to be able to laugh at myself. I'm grateful to feel more energized when I laugh. I'm grateful for the practice of Laughter Yoga that helps me on days humor seems distant. I'm grateful to have experienced the "curing" power of laughter in resetting my body. I'm grateful to know that I will have ample opportunities to laugh about today. And I'm grateful to make the choice in this moment to choose a positive outlook.

What will you choose today? What tools help you create your best day? 

May today provide plenty of fresh air to breathe. May we find the ability to laugh both at ourselves and for no reason at all. Have a beautiful day!