Over the last few weeks I have had several people admit that they have avoided me because my daughter is advanced in many areas and it makes them feel bad about their own kids or parenting. Just last week I wrote a blog about how I can fall into this trap of comparison too. 

While I would love to take all the credit for my amazing daughter; the pediatrician has assured me that it has little to do with me and not to hold the next child to our first's standards. 

At the same time my daughter is verbally communicating beyond her age, she is also figuring out things I thought I wouldn't have to deal with for several more years. Between opening childproof things and already wanting to know why girls and boys have different parts we have faced many challenging situations.

Today is National Honesty Day. In all honesty, yes, I have an amazing daughter and a great life. Yes, sometimes I feel guilty about it when talking to friends and don't share certain triumphs. Other times I catch myself bragging because I am so proud of this kid. 

In all honesty, there are days that even with an amazing kid and family and life that I still feel depressed without being able to explain why. There are days I get overwhelmed or fed up with my daughter's whining or a miscommunication with my husband. There are days when I lose my temper. We are a real life family, not a perfect one out of a movie. We live a messy life of juggling opposite work schedules and trying to keep all the bills paid like so many families.

I am not perfect. My daughter is not perfect. My husband and our marriage are not perfect. But we are imperfectly perfect. We are our own form of "best" and we are better as a team. 

Know that my pride for my daughter does not diminish how proud you are of your child. They are all unique and amazing. Please know that my life is not a perfect picture, it is as real and messy as any other life and relationship. And I will do my best, like you, to remember that comparing ourselves to others is not what we're here for.

I'm grateful for the honesty of my friends and family in these admissions. I'm grateful to take a step back and see where I can be less boastful. I'm grateful to be honest and open about my own weaknesses as a parent. I'm grateful to observe and address my own feelings of lack, guilt, and missteps. I'm grateful for my amazing daughter. I'm grateful for a loving husband. I'm grateful for my team of support people that have my back when my patience is running thin. I'm grateful to admit I am imperfect. And I'm grateful for honesty.

What honesty could you share today? Is there a side of you that you portray better than it may actually be? We are all human and while there is nothing wrong with building ourselves up a little, it can also be healthy to express the truths of our fears and weaknesses. Many times we learn we aren't alone.

May today remind us to build honest connections. May we remember that comparison is the thief of joy and everyone has their own wins and challenges. Have a beautiful day!

The other day, as we played in her water table, I decided I really wanted a picture of my daughter's footprints. I wanted her to walk across the boards so I could have a photo measurement of this blink in time when her feet are so small.

As I dipped her feet and showed her how it left prints on the deck her own opinion of how her prints should look sparked up. In her beautiful mind dancing prints were the way to go. I thought about trying again to capture what I had wanted but decided ultimately her way was more perfect. It captures more than her foot size; it captures her personality too.

So many times I find myself caught in the belief that there are one of two "right" ways to do something. I find a routine or an activity that I like or am comfortable with and stick to it. I understand that part of this is to combat any anxiety that new situations often bring but in reality it only takes once or twice to acclimate to something new.

I grew up hearing the phrase "when one door closes, another opens." Several years ago I discovered that often times when a "door" in my life closed it wasn't about finding another door or even a window that had opened. Instead of a door it was more like a gate and rather than being on the inside trying to get out; I found it was more like being outside trying to get in. I could climb over the gate if I wanted in that badly but if I just turned around the possibilities were endless.

Last week I was sad to hear that baby storytime at our closest local library was ending for the summer. During the summer many libraries focus on older kids who are not occupied with school and needing something safe and productive to do. I thought, "well what are we going to do on Wednesdays now?"

As a couple moms and I texted last night I realized there is a LOT to do this summer. Another nearby library is taking up baby storytime plus many of the libraries will be offering family storytime and music "concerts" throughout the summer if we don't tie ourselves down to one particular day or time. On top of that the city has several events going on and a few local businesses are offering free events as well. 

After adding all the possibilities to my calendar I realized my daughter's schedule is full of fun and enriching activities and that doesn't even count swim lessons and just exploring at the nearby parks.

Storytime was not a door that closed. There are no doors! There is only infinite possibilities of where I choose to explore. It's not even a linear path to follow, but rather a dance in all directions. And even if our area didn't have all these amazing programs, our options would still only be limited by my own imagination because this world is full of things to do and explore and most of them are still new and exciting to a toddler.

I'm so grateful for the reminder to let go of the "door" frame of mind. I'm grateful for my daughter opening my mind to other possibilities. I'm grateful to step back from my own ideas so I can see the beauty in hers and others'. I'm grateful to live in a place with so many beautiful and enriching opportunities. I'm grateful so many of them are free! And I'm grateful for my group of mom friends that help me find even more opportunities as we compare calendars and notes.

What area of your life are you still seeing doors? Is there another way to view the situation or another direction to travel? 

​May today remind us of the infinite possibilities. May we travel our journey with our eyes wide open and no doors in our way. Have a beautiful day!

Today is Take Your Child to Work Day. I remember as a kid getting to go to my dad's office for a couple hours. He would let me do the shredding and I would happily sit there feeding papers through. Sometimes I wondered how he had that much to shred in one day but as an adult I realize he probably saved up just to keep me occupied. 

I think I only went for this specific day a few times but even just visiting Dad at work was fun. I loved getting to go out to lunch with him or just see him in the middle of the day.

My daughter is not yet old enough to really get the concept of today. But she is old enough to get the concept of getting to go see Daddy. And she is blessed that not only her dad but her grandma would like to see her (and show her off) at work today. So we will make our rounds and my little social butterfly will be ecstatic to visit.

I'm grateful for the idea of this day to hep teach kids about what their parents do. I'm grateful for the opportunity it gives for kids to get to go see their parents who would normally be away from them during the day. I'm grateful for jobs that this is available (massage doesn't really lend itself to having children visit, haha!) I'm grateful for the fun activities that many offices put on now to encourage kids to come. And I'm grateful for an amazing family that loves spending time together.

Did you get to visit a parent at work as a kid? Do you have a job that your child could come visit and learn what you do? Or is there an opportunity to just eat lunch with them?

If these are not options, it is okay. As I said, not all jobs lend itself to this. But making a point to spend special time with our kids is always a blessing, no matter where or when it plays out.

May today allow us to schedule some time to hang out with our kids. May we remember how much our kids look up to us and show the same love and respect to them. Have a beautiful day!

I love taking pictures, though I will admit I have a much narrower subject focus since my daughter was born. I used to get up early to get to different places so I could capture the sunrise or pull over on my way home from work because the sunset was framed perfectly. When I walked at the park I was constantly down on the ground to capture a tiny flower or unusual bug on a leaf.

When my daughter first came along I probably took fifty pictures a day. Every smile or silly face she made and every little milestone needed to be captured. 

The other day I was with a couple other moms watching our three girls play. They were being adorable and one of the moms after a few minutes said, "Oh! I should take a picture!" The other mom and I agreed and grabbed our phones out as well. 

I noticed I haven't been taking as many pictures of her lately, maybe ten or twelve a week. It isn't that she is any less adorable or doing less amazing things but somewhere along the way I started just being in the moment with her. I started enjoying the moment and taking heart pictures as well; moments of pure love that I will hold in my heart forever.

I wanted to be "in the picture", not of the camera but of life. I didn't want to always be the body sticking out from behind the camera. I wanted to be interacting and LIVING that moment. Rather than being sad at moments I wasn't able to capture digitally, I cherished the moments I was IN.

Don't get me wrong, I still love taking pictures of her. And moments like the other day when I am just an observer as she plays with her friends are a great time to take pictures so I'm grateful for the reminder. 

The heart pictures I capture will not get a thousand likes on Facebook or be blown up at her graduation. I can't share them. And yet perhaps that is one more reason they are so special. It is a priceless moment with my little girl who is growing up too fast.

I'm grateful for heart pictures. I'm grateful for the thousands of photos I have as witness to how fast my daughter is growing. I'm grateful for the silly faces I have caught with my camera and even more so for the pictures I have caught with my heart. I'm grateful to be living "in the picture" and spending the moments with my daughter. I'm grateful to be so blessed.

What do you like to capture in heart pictures? What are your favorite moments that were not caught on film?

May today remind us that the only time that matters is the present moment. May we cherish each moment we have with the ones we love. Have a beautiful day!

A friend and I were just talking the other day about "the thief of joy." Comparing ourselves to other moms or our children to other children is a dangerous habit. It can bring up and highlight all our insecurities while distorting our reality into thinking some people are "perfect". 

Currently this reminder has been about body image. As I have been asked multiple times over the last month if I am pregnant again I have allowed these comments to make me self-conscious of the lack of tone I once had as well as the way some of my friends have bounced back to looking amazing and working out everyday. The other is my completely deflated chest now that breastfeeding is over. It is as if all breast tissue was converted to milk and got sucked right on out. 

Most of us have done this at one time or another; it is easy to get caught up in seeing the best parts of everyone else and having blinders on to their struggles.

Last night I saw a show on Netflix called The Letdown. I thought it would be a good British humor kind of way to unwind. It is about a new mom and how she feels like she is doing a terrible job and everyone else in her parenting/ lactation group looks amazing. She is stuck in comparison, judging herself too harshly, and feeling the common new mom symptoms of overwhelmed and overtired.

I will admit that while there were funny parts of the show, it would have been a lot funnier at a different time in my life. As it were, it struck a number of chords. While I do mostly get to sleep through the night and I no longer nurse my now toddler all the feelings of despair she feels in the show were a not so distant past to me. I found my heart breaking for her as I relived my own feelings of being a terrible mom or feeling like I should somehow intuitively know how to get my kid to sleep better.

It took me a very long time to accept that it was just part of who my daughter was and that parenting isn't a black and white, good and bad, correct and incorrect kind of job. If Ireland is 40 shades of green, parenting is 400,000 shades of grey. 

It was eye opening last night, how deeply those self-inflicted wounds still ran. How quickly I could identify with the woes of parenting even as we have moved in to phase of parenting I am more comfortable and more prepared for: Toddlerhood. I sat for a while with my journal last night as I toiled, wondering if the next baby combined with hormones and lack of sleep will bring the same feelings of depression and overwhelm or if I will have learned from the first round and be a bit more laid back. Only time will tell I suppose but I will be more conscious of checking in with myself and making sure I show the thief to the door.

I'm grateful for the conversation with a friend that made me realize how common it is to compare. I'm grateful to realize that the habit can be broken just by recognizing we are all unique and doing our best. I'm grateful for friends who are honest about their successes and challenges and offer an ear and support to mine as well. I'm grateful for the show last night that did a really great job of portraying what the first several months of my life felt like with no sleep. And I'm grateful to be able to recognize how humorous some of the situations in the show are now that I have a little distance from it. I'm grateful to feel all those feeling come up again so easily so that I could take the time to process them. And I'm grateful to get a little sleep last night.

What area of your life is comparison hiding? How do you catch and redirect comparative thinking?

May today remind us no two of us are the same. May we recognize everyone has their strengths and challenges and may we help build each other up. Have a beautiful day!

The warmer weather has meant more time outside for me and my family. I love being out in nature! 

Yesterday was Earth Day so when my daughter couldn't sleep after a big family lunch I packed her up in her stroller and took a very long walk instead. She still didn't get any sleep because she was busy asking me what everything was and pointing out what she saw...lots of squirrels and trees. And yet it felt like a win for both of us as we took a long stroll down the path.

Today is National Picnic Day and the weather is looking like it will hold up again. It looks like it will be a good day to pack up and hit the park. 

I'm grateful for the beautiful weather. I'm grateful to get out and enjoy nature. I'm grateful for all the wildlife flourishing around the area. I'm grateful to be able to point out some specifics to my daughter, like Bluejays and Cardinals or a Redbud tree in bud. I'm grateful to be filled with wonderlust when I am in nature, looking at the beautiful colors and balance of nature. I'm grateful to have spent a good amount of time outside this weekend even with the rain. I'm grateful to have plenty of parks nearby to have a picnic with ease today. 

What is your favorite way to experience nature? Where is your favorite place to enjoy the natural world?

​May today provide ample opportunity to get outside. May we see all the beauty and symbolism nature has to offer. Have a beautiful day!

Willpower is like a muscle; it can be strengthened with use. However, like a muscle, it can also be depleted with overuse. And when it is depleted we often make decisions that are not the best.

Some examples that researchers found include simple tasks we do each week. By going to the grocery store without a list, willpower is used on each item you focus on to decide if you need it or not. After making it through the whole store and using restraint on all the items you have decided you didn't need, your willpower is fatigued, making you more susceptible to give in and buy the candy and snacks at the register. 

Another example is going through your day at work, making decisions. You choose what is most critical to work on first and which tasks to set aside. You choose where to go or what to eat for lunch. You make a hundred decisions, some easy and some more difficult but each one is using some of that willpower. As you leave work you have two more decisions, go to the gym or not and go home and cook or just grab something on the way home. If your willpower is already down it is easy to skip the gym and grab a pizza. 

Since my daughter was born I have noticed my willpower can get zapped that much easier. There are now the added choices each day of "choosing your battles" that come with a toddler. Which things are important and which ones can I let go? Do I enroll her in preschool or wait another year? Do I let her explore and climb and let her learn from what happens or do I hover to protect my own fears. And then there is the willpower used up on patience. 

After a long day of exercising my willpower, I go to work. It is just for a couple hours and honestly I love being able to maintain that part of my life. But willpower is worn and by the time I drive home it is so tempting to stop for dinner. I purposely look in the fridge before I leave to find something that sounds good to entice me to eat at home and ninety-nine percent of the time it works. But after my daughter is in bed and I sit to unwind, the willpower to resist that unhealthy snack is all but shot.

Creating a routine is one of the best ways researchers suggest we build willpower and override the tough decisions. If it is routine to come home and make dinner or only eat dessert at mid-day before exercising it off then it makes the decision less difficult, using less willpower. 

My willpower may be feeling a little depleted these days but my love of creating routines is not! I'm grateful for researchers that make discoveries and then pair it with practical advice. I'm grateful to know I can change my habits to something healthier. I'm grateful to recognize where I would like to make changes and foster excitement about implementing them. I'm grateful to write it down because by writing down my plan it makes it easier to follow until it becomes routine. And I'm grateful for all the ways having a toddler helps me strengthen my willpower day by day.

What zaps your willpower? What routines would help you stretch and strengthen that willpower to get you through the day?

May today remind us to let go of judgment and focus on solutions. May we find the strength to create new routines and follow through. Have a beautiful day!

According to the National Days Calendar, today is National High Five Day. At my house, with a toddler, that is pretty much every day. In the adult world, however, it is probably a good reminder that encouragement and praise go a long way.

The number one complaint I hear about people's jobs is the lack of feeling appreciated. It is a complaint that pops up in relationships as well. The need to feel recognized for the things we do well is a big need that can get easily overlooked. But how long does it really take to give a high five, or tell someone "good job"? 

Today I challenge each of you to find five people to high five, either physically or verbally. It could be the person who makes your coffee or drives the bus on your commute. It could be co-workers who are working hard or even your boss. Most of us pass by or interact with several dozen people each day, surely we can each find five worth praising.

I'm grateful for high fives. I'm grateful when I receive recognition for a job well done. I'm grateful to give myself praise for the things I accomplish that are important to me. I'm grateful for my daughter's sweet voice ringing out with, "good job1" whether it is directed at me or herself. I'm grateful to know we model our appreciation enough for her to use it too.

I'm grateful for all the people in my week that make life better int heir own way. I'm grateful for the librarian who runs story time. I'm grateful for the amazing swim teachers that work with toddlers. I'm grateful for my husband for the hundreds of ways each week he helps keep our house, family, and schedule running smoothly. I'm grateful for the truck drivers that make my daughter's day or the hot air balloon operators that make my day. I'm grateful for an amazing family that helps me be able to still work part time and I'm so grateful for my daughter who shares her day and wonder with me.

I'm grateful for each of you who read this blog. I'm grateful to those of you who have reached out and told me how it is part of your morning routine or your gratitude practice. I'm grateful for these high fives. I'm grateful for everyone out there who is doing their part to make this world a positive, grateful place.

Who can you high five today? Who is doing a great job? What can you give yourself some recognition for today?

​May today remind us we all appreciate being appreciated. May we be generous with compliments and stingy with critiques. Have a beautiful day!

It never ceases to amaze me the way my body communicates its needs to me. Whether it is telling me I need more sleep or it's time to eat, to telling me what foods I need for something deeper that is going on inside; my body is full of information.

Sometimes I am great at listening to what it is telling me and give it an extra hour sleep or throw some extra spinach in my dinner to help balance some hormones. Other times I succumb to the rush of life and the ease of fast food or the allure of sugary treats.

It is part of the cycle of life t find our own balance and learn to listen to what our body is telling each of us. Today as I wake for the third day in a row with the feeling I haven't slept at all (when this is not the case at all), I realize it is something other than sleep that is off. My body is telling me something else is out of balance and it is pretty easy for me to discern what it is, because I've been here before. Over the last couple weeks I have been eating a lot more sugar than usual and my body is telling me, "no more."

I'm grateful for the amazing intelligence built into our bodies. I'm grateful for intricate balances and processes the body goes through each minute of each day. I'm grateful for its communication to let me know when what I am doing is out fo sync with what it needs. I'm grateful for the subtle messages I get to correct things before they are completely out of whack and I'm grateful for stronger messages when I have ignored the subtle. I'm grateful to listen to my body and maintain health. I'm grateful for the intuitive understanding of the body's messages.

What is your body telling you? How can you learn to read the more subtle messages so you don't have to experience the more significant ones?

May today help us tune in to our bodies' needs. May we celebrate the beautiful gift of the bodies we were given. Have a beautiful day!

Last night, in my dreams, I found myself talking to a friend. I don't remember all the specifics but I know he gave me some advice and showed me he was feeling better. He showed me how all the pain in his leg was gone and he could walk; he even had a bounce to his step. We celebrated.

In the dream there was so much I wanted to talk to him about and to go do but all he wanted was for me to read him a bedtime story. He pulled out an old book that looked like it had been well loved from his childhood and I began reading. It had to do with a wheel that kept turning.

I awoke from my dream to my daughter having a nightmare. I ran in to comfort her and it was not until I had calmed her and gone back to bed that I realized the power of the dream. As I lay there I thought about calling in the morning to tell him about the dream and I realized I could not. The friend of my dream is the one a wrote about a month ago that had passed away suddenly. 

As I realized this, the meaning of the dream became so much more obvious and significant. He was telling me he was alright. His pain is gone and he is resting to his favorite book. While I miss him so very much, it was good to see him and know he is okay.

I'm grateful for dreams. I'm grateful for the beautiful communication and comfort that come in these kind of dreams. I'm grateful for the messages of other dreams that help me process. I'm grateful to be able to comfort my daughter from her nightmare. I'm grateful for the love I feel in my heart. And I'm grateful to see my friend again.

What have your dreams been about lately? Is there a message you have received or a question you are seeking the answer to this week? Perhaps you could try asking, or thinking on the subject as you head to bed tonight.

May our dreams bring us comfort. May we know that our loved ones are watched over both here and in the afterlife. Have a beautiful day!