Today I focus on all the little places I give up my power and my balance. Where do I allow myself to fall into frustration when I could consciously choose a different response? Where to I let my energy get frazzled instead of using the very breathing techniques I try to teach my daughter and clients? Where do I choose to smile and laugh instead of letting my power and balance tilt?

I love visualizing my energy and power growing up, uP, UP from my feet through my head. I love taking a deep breath and choosing calm. I love releasing frustrations with my daughter and we pretend we are volcanoes. And I love being able to respond instead of react when I remember that I always have a say over who is holding MY power. 

I cannot control what is happening outside. I cannot control having no income and still having bills to pay. I cannot control how other people are feeling or how they are responding to all this stress. But I can control how I do. I can control my breath. I can control what thoughts I let stay in my mind. 

I'm grateful for a sunny day. I'm grateful for the flowers blooming. I'm grateful to visualize that warmth and that growth blooming inside me. I'm grateful to choose balance and to choose what I give my energy and focus to. I'm grateful to power UP. I'm grateful to know that even with no sleep I can still be a good version of myself even if not my best version. I'm grateful to know I can balance within these circumstances. I'm grateful to breath out the stress and breath in renewed power.

Where is your power? What helps you balance and power up?

May today bring joy and balance. May we listen to our own advice and hold our own power. Have a beautiful day!

Today I let some setbacks get me down. I shed more than a few tears. I let the negative voice creep up and get the best of me for a little bit.

Thankfully for every storm there is a rainbow and every caterpillar there is a butterfly. I have re-emerged with new insights into myself and a new plan moving forward. I've also learned who my supports are when I need a hand.

I'm grateful to re-emerge. I'm grateful to see some of the areas I'm vulnerable to negative thoughts. I'm grateful for the people that know me best. I'm grateful for the ones that are open with me in return. I'm grateful for new beginnings and to know they can start at any time. I'm grateful for a calm evening.

How do you return to the "light"? Who do you lean on when things are tough?

May today remind us how important it is to re-emerge. May we walk through the shadows but always return to the light. Have a beautiful day!

Perfection is not a win. It is not possible to be perfect in every way. The best we can do is our best in the moment and even that looks different from day to day, moment to moment. 

So what does a "win" look like when all our societal guideposts are tumbling around us? Determination. Effort. Waking up each morning and giving it our best go; that's a win. 

I have been struggling with a pulled deltoid and for several week I had given up on my rowing machine. It is my main form of exercise so the result was lack of exercise. The problem is, I am a better version of my self when I can release my stress through cardio. I was determined to figure it out and a few days ago I found a way to harness it so I could row one-handed. It certainly feels like a win!

My daughter has been struggling with the complete upheaval of her schedule. I have been determined to find the balance between maintaining our rules and boundaries while giving her extra love and attention. As always, it is my goal to do this without yelling (though I am human and therefore not perfect). Today, despite an abundance of tests to the rules that determination paid off. I can see that our consistency is beginning to give her that balance back. 

I have been determined to make time for me despite the twenty-four, seven family time. I have incorporated yoga into my morning routine, frequently enjoying my preschooler participating with me. I have enjoyed my workout during their nap. Yes, I do have a few more hours in the day since I am not working in the evening but mostly these things are happening because I was determined to make them happen.

I'm grateful for determination. I'm grateful for seeing all the little wins. I'm grateful to get some exercise for my mental and physical health. I'm grateful for lots of deck time this weekend. I'm grateful for sunshine and to get to plant a small vegetable garden with my family. I'm grateful for my little one's determination as she gets closer to figure out crawling. I'm grateful for my preschooler's passion and determination in everything she does, especially when we are on the same page. I'm grateful to know there is no room for perfectionism and plenty of room for determination.

What is your "win"? How do you accomplish what you need? 

May today highlight our wins. May we let go of what falls a little short. May we find our determination and go after what we need. Have a beautiful day!

I prefer progress. It comes in a thousand different forms. If I have learned one thing about myself though it is that effort alone doesn't reap the full benefits. It takes a healthy amount of effort but also time to reflect.

If I were driving somewhere I had never been I would get in my car, fill up the tank, and start out in the direction I wanted to go. Along the route though I would need to pause and make sure I was still heading in the "right" direction. I realize that this metaphor may be lost on today's generation of GPS navigating our every move. While I use that on occasion I definitely prefer still using a map and some common sense. Starting in the middle of the country makes it fairly easy to break down which general direction I need to go.

Growth in my life is the same. Whether it is a lifestyle change I am striving for or a new parenting situation I am navigating effort isn't enough on its own. Reflection is key to checking in with my common sense, emotions, and situation to see if I am moving in the right direction.

I'm grateful to reflect today. I'm grateful to let tears fall as I admit to my own weaknesses. I'm grateful to have a husband that is willing to hear me out through tears and frustration while I sort it out. I'm grateful for his insights and grateful for his ability to sit back and let me sort it out, out loud. I'm grateful to see where I am heading in the direction I want to go. I'm grateful to see where I need to make tweaks and full hard lefts. I'm grateful to remind myself I am in the drivers seat and I have the power to make these changes.

Where are you heading? What growth are you striving for? How often do you reflect and how much effort are you putting toward getting there?

May today bring balance in effort and reflection. May we move closer to where we want to be. Have a beautiful day!

There is no doubt that there is a LOT going on right now. Our world has been turned topsy turvy. We are trying to figure out a new normal and new balance. But what if we put that all on pause for just three minutes?

Take a moment to look up from your computer or phone for a minute. Look around you at the room you are in at this moment. Take a deep breath and just really look around. What are four things in this room that help your day function? Is there anyone with you that (no matter how much they may be driving you crazy being locked in place together today) you appreciate? Have you taken a moment to tell them you appreciate them?

Get up and stretch your legs. Move around. If there is another room you can go to, walk in there. Take another breath and look around. What in this room brings comfort? What colors do you see? Is this place home or work? Does it fill the needs for whichever place it is? 

Take one more minute and try to think of four things you are grateful for today. Four things can be found. What are your Grateful Four? I really would love to hear back.

I'm grateful for the ability to blog from my home. I'm grateful for my rowing machine that helps me keep balance. I'm grateful for my beautiful kids and all the creative fun we are having. And I'm grateful for nap time to give myself a breather and start fresh again in the afternoon. I'm grateful my husband is working from home and that most of my loved ones are tucked safely in their homes. I'm grateful for the ability to connect through video chats, text, calls, and yes even Facebook. I'm grateful for the warm colors of our house that remind me of Autumn. I'm grateful for deep breaths. I'm grateful to be doing my best in this new "adventure".

Can you take this challenge each day? Can you give yourself three minutes to find your Grateful Four? Can you find four different things each day?

May today remind us we are still alive. May we focus on all the blessings as we work on finding balance and moving forward. Have a beautiful day! 

I keep visualizing a river. It flows smoothly, bending to flow around obstacles in full faith it will reach its destination. I keep visualizing this as a reminder of how I would like to navigate this current "adventure". Some days this visualization works better than others.

As I sat at lunch today my baby was yelling for milk (nursing) and mostly refusing the food I was offering. My preschooler was chatting nonstop, which is typical for her, about everything under the sun. And my husband was trying to tell me current events and his own thoughts on different topics. It was sensory overload. When I closed my eyes and tried to picture the river flowing it felt more like the rapids of a heavy downpour. 

Lunch ended with my preschooler hoping down from the table to go play happily, my husband returning to his office in the basement and the baby suckling happily in my lap. I myself felt a little like a tornado had just passed through and I was relishing the moment of quiet after the storm. And it only lasted a moment because then kids were up and ready to "run" again. ...So run we did as I stretched out an obstacle course for the baby to watch her sister perform. 

I'm grateful to observe the passing of my emotions. I'm grateful to pause and witness the overwhelm and do my best to just breathe. I'm grateful for the beauty of these moments. I'm grateful to find a way to bring myself back to the calm river. I'm grateful to recognize the need for all of us to talk and to get movement. I'm grateful to commit some time today to working out which I haven't made time for in several weeks.

How do you dispel the excess, whether it be energetic, sensory, or something else? What visual helps you come back to center?

May today keep us flowing smoothly as we navigate this new path. May we find ways to balance. Have a beautiful day!

When I feel that familiar vibration of anxiety coursing through me I frequently breathe through it and push it aside. A lot of times my anxiety is fed by wanting to control or change something I cannot. So I focus on my body and breathe or meditate or jog until the vibration evens back out. 

Often times I even find myself feeling negative towards anxiety, as if it is a personality flaw. In reality it is just a guidepost like any other emotion. 

At the same time I brush off this emotion I also feel like my intuition is strong and trustworthy in most situations. If I feel uneasy in the presence of someone or in a new location I trust my gut. It is a deep knowing inside and does not usually have the same resonation as the anxiety I spoke of a moment ago.

Last night I lay awake for over three and a half hours. Something was not sitting right with me and I tried every technique I knew to brush it off, breathe through it, and just go to sleep. Nothing worked. In fact, every time I tried to rationalize to calm or even pray about it, I got more anxious. It wasn't until I explored the idea that maybe, just maybe there was more than anxiety going on that I began to relax. When I finally let it go and changed my plan, listening to the anxiety, I fell fast asleep.

I'm grateful for the persistence of intuition. I'm grateful to listen. I'm grateful to get a new perspective and open my eyes to the negative ideas I hold toward anxiety. I'm grateful for all the times my intuition has served me well and kept me safe. I'm grateful for all anxiety has taught me too. I'm grateful to move forward with a more open mind and commit to paying more attention to what my emotions are telling me. 

What are your emotions telling you? What does your intuition tell you? How can we all find a balance at this time of change?

May today allow us to have strong intuition and faith. May we listen to the anxiety while not allowing it to overrun us. Have a beautiful day!

I am loving how many opportunities have opened up, especially for parents and kids, during this lockdown. There are websites offering all kinds of different learning activities and science experiments for kids. There are videos of book readings. And Mo Willems, a children's author, is doing daily doodle instructional videos. 

I was a little skeptical on how well a drawing instructional video would work with a three-and-a-half year old. But as you can see in the pictures above, we did pretty well! Tomorrow we may try markers instead of colored pencil just so she can see her drawing a little easier but I was super impressed! 

There are online courses that some colleges are offering free which is amazing. I was also very happy to hear my Laughter Yoga community is having a call-in laughter conference the first ten minutes of every hour to help everyone release a little stress. I have not taken advantage of either of these opportunities yet but I'm excited for all these opportunities!

I'm grateful that so many people and organizations are opening up these great opportunities for everyone. I'm grateful for all the people reaching out through YouTube. I'm grateful to see so many creative ideas floating around from fellow parents. I'm grateful for so many ways to fill our days. I'm grateful to be slowly figuring out a new normal and new routines. I'm grateful for all this time with my kids getting to really watch them grow and see their strengths. I'm grateful to be doing my best to see the beautiful opportunity this lockdown is and share some of my creativity as well.

What opportunities are you finding during this time? If you are locked in, what are you finding to fill your day with joy?

May today keep our creativity flowing. May we find the beauty in the opportunities available to us. Have a beautiful day!

One byproduct of being home so much is the increase in quote book entries. My oldest daughter says the most hilarious things and we started a quote book on her when she first started talking. 

She earned her first entry when she was only fourteen months old. We were walking through a store and a nun (in her habit) walked passed. My daughter started yelling "boo! boo!" The kind woman stopped and said, "Well hi there sweetie." My daughter with amazing clarity said, "No, Ghost say Boo!" 

I have made entries in her quote book a couple times a month or so since she was about two years old. Now, being home with her even more than normal I am starting to wonder if we will need to order a second quote book to get us through the next weeks or months. 

According to my oldest daughter, "When I grow up (sister) is not allowed to suck on my nipples!" She picks flowers so she can put them in water so they won't die. And I can't even remember half the things she said at lunch today that had us laughing. 

Laughter is much needed these day and I'm grateful my daughter provides an abundance of it. I'm grateful she enjoys laughter yoga. I'm grateful she has started doing regular yoga with me in the mornings too. I'm grateful for her funny anecdotes and the innocent way she processes things. I'm grateful for her big heart and sweet hugs. I'm grateful for this time together. I'm grateful to have a quote book to record all these cute moments. And I'm grateful to think of the years to come when we can look back on these quotes and laugh together again and again.

What brings you laughter? Who brightens your day?

May we all have someone special to lighten the mood. May we celebrate these precious moments of togetherness. Have a beautiful day!

Today was an interesting day as my family begins settling in and finding a new routine and a new normal. It is a little surreal. We are not officially on lockdown or anything here but with my job halted and my husband working from home we are camped. 

As I hear about all the struggles as people search for the supplies they need, I'm grateful for all the little things we already had in place. I'm grateful for a deep freeze that holds some extra food for my family. I'm grateful to have bought several things of soup and frozen veggies when my family had the flu a couple weeks ago. 

I'm grateful to have cloth diapers. While they were used more with my first born, they will definitely be used now as we save disposable diapers for bedtimes. I'm grateful for a good cleaning system already in place for cloth diapers that will work if we should run out of wipes. 

I'm grateful for family and neighbors that have checked in to see if we need anything. I'm grateful to know that we are thrifty and can find a way through this. I'm grateful my husband and I have different strengths and talents that cover a wide array. 

I'm grateful to be using my creativity to think of ways to fill our days with fun, adventure, and learn new skills all within these walls. I'm grateful to brainstorm ways to help others who may not have the same backup plans in place. I'm grateful to be solution focused now and letting the fears settle down.

How is your frame of mind? What are you doing to alleviate stress and focus on solutions? What backup plans do you have in place that can bring you some relief?

May today remind us we may be separated but we are still in this together. May we look out for each other and find comfort in what we do have already. Have a beautiful day, in whatever way you can.