Ahhh. I return to you feeling refreshed and rebooted after a few days away in nature. I would say it was a few days unplugged but only from phone and internet. We made the leap and purchased a small camper. We ordered it a couple months ago but got to meet her this weekend. 

It is the perfect combination of staying connected to nature and cooking outdoors while still having the convenience of a small fridge and air conditioner. Haha, I might be getting a little soft in my age. It was a great trip and despite a couple hiccups and yes, a couple meltdowns I am feeling clear in mind and spirit now. 

My oldest didn't want to return home and I definitely could feel that same yearning. Luckily we have a great reason to get out even more now. The youngest took most the trip in stride despite her schedule completely going haywire.

The best part was being out at the river, exploring and splashing. We got to witness first hand how rain makes it rise and then fall again, multiple times. Most of all we got to see each of our strengths and interests merge and emerge as we explored. 

I'm so grateful for this trip. I'm grateful to get away. I'm grateful to have the perfect camper for our family. I'm grateful to have named her and gotten in our maiden voyage with love and success. I'm grateful to watch my girls play and explore. I'm grateful to have been cut off from phone and internet. I'm grateful for the insights I got on the trip, especially from my parents who came along with their rv for some special family time. I'm grateful for all their help and generosity. I'm grateful for my husband who drove an extra ten plus hours to pick up our camper. I'm so grateful to feel renewed.

What renews you? What was the best thing to happen for you in the last week? What are you grateful for today?

May today remind us to truly take deep care of ourselves. May we take the time to unplug and step away from our daily routines from time to time. May we feed our soul often. Have a beautiful day!

I have really been making a push to keep up with my self-care lately. It is often the first thing to fall off the schedule if there is too much to do, but not this time. Even with the long list of stuff to get done this week I have made sure I am getting the care I need, aside from some missed hours of sleep courtesy of my girls. 

Yet today I find myself still feeling lacking. My cup is not overflowing. I am in need of a vacation, a change of scenery, some fresh air, even just a small break. 

While the pandemic numbers are rising and kids need taken care of, there is not the ability to just hop on a plane and take off for the beach. But I can take a few days off work. I can take a few days off my blog and bring my gratitude daily practice back to my notebook, taking it a little deeper and a little more brutally honest. I can give myself elements of a vacation, even if I am right here. 

Today is not the day for it as I still have lots of prep for my daughter's birthday party and schooling. But I am mentally preparing that next week is my vacation. It is also my oldest daughter's 4th birthday and I'm sure she will be more than happy to have some hammock time out on the deck with me. 

Sometimes we just need to change things up. There has been plenty of change lately but I am in need of having some form of change that I feel some control in, not just in response to a bigger change. I am ready for some time that is soothing to the soul.

I'm grateful to be making self-care a priority. I'm grateful to sit and honestly look at why that isn't filling my cup right now. I'm grateful to see the need and honor it. I'm grateful for this blog and to be able to put something positive out into the world. I'm grateful to honor myself and take next week off and tune back in to gratitude on a private, deeper level. I'm grateful for my family. I'm grateful to celebrate four years with my daughter and four years of being a mom. I'm grateful for my beautiful rainbow girl, even on her spicy days. I'm grateful for two girls who fill my heart more than they know. I'm grateful to take a vacation and get back to the basics.

What are you needing today? When was the last time you took a day off?

May we listen to our needs and do what we can to meet them. May we live in a place of cups overflowing and abundant love. Have a beautiful day!

I rarely find enough time to get out to weed my garden. The edges I walk by look ok as I pull when I pass, but the majority of the garden gets pretty overgrown before I find a way to tackle it. Often tackling the garden means something else left undone for the week. 

Today I made some time to get out there. One section of one tier was grass that had taken over. The ivy, dandelions, clover, and several other plants had staked a solid claim as well. 

I knew I wouldn't get it done in one shot, or even one day. The majority of our front yard is all tiered flower gardens...well weed gardens anyway. I told myself I would at least make a small dent and I jumped in. 

As I pulled I answered some of my daughter's questions and listened to her ever running monologue. For a short while she found the attention of our awesome neighbors.

What I noticed though was as I pulled and cleared I didn't feel rushed. I didn't feel like there was a weight on me of all the other things I needed to get done. I didn't even feel bothered by the steady flow of words and questions from my daughter that unfortunately is sometimes the case when I have a lot to do.

Instead it felt like this was the only thing on earth I needed to be doing in that moment. It felt like a lazy summer day where I had no where to be and no agenda. It felt...amazing! It felt great to be present.

I'm so grateful for this moment. I'm grateful to find a place to slow down and still be crossing off items of the list. I'm grateful for a very productive morning. I'm grateful my youngest had a good morning nap that allowed me to work on the weeds without having to worry about her diet. I'm grateful for my daughter's questions and insight. I'm grateful to toss in a few bits of "education" and see her thoughts. I'm grateful she is into exploring bugs. I'm grateful to get a good section of the garden back to decent shape. 

Where do you feel most present? When was the last time you had your hands in the dirt? What "weeds" need pulled from your life?

May today remind us to slow down and find a place to just be present. May we weed the unnecessary stress out of our lives and find beauty in the moment we're in. Have a beautiful day!

Everything happens for a reason. I truly believe this even if I don't always like it. Some things happen from our own actions. Some things happen from our inactions. Some things are co-created through another person. But I believe most things happen as part of a divine plan.

I do not personally believe that our lives are all carved out for us by fate or anything but I do believe that the energy we put into the world and the actions we take set us on fluid paths that continue to change as we make our choices. I also believe that sometimes divine energy pops in to guide us back if we get a little stuck int he mud or wander a little too deep in the weeds. 

I believe that even this pandemic has meaning and message set in the divine. I don't believe it is as punishment but rather to guide us back to a slower life, one hopefully more in touch with nature. I think it is helping us see through some veils and help each of us find the power to explore our own reality. 

Does this belief make it easy? No. Sometimes I want to scream to the heavens "why?!" But most things come to light in due time. Relationships end so that something better can come along. Sometimes opportunities come in the aftermath of what feels like utter destruction. 

These are the things I remind myself when something is out of my control. It's not just that it is happening for a reason but that something positive will come of it, even if I never actually see it. What if that light had stayed green only to have someone run it and crash into you? Would you still complain about another red light? We never know how all the cards are falling and sometimes we never even see it in hindsight.

I like plans. I like lists and preparation. I like having a basic itinerary. I don't want it all spelled out and all the t's crossed but I want the basic layout so I know what to expect. But sometimes the best laid plans get tossed by one small hiccup. 

The hardest part for me is being in limbo. Disappointment is no fun but it is a finality that can be reconstructed in the mind to find some positive in it. The limbo, the not knowing, that is what stresses me. So today I practice finding peace in the knowledge that even if I don't know which way the coin will land, it will land that way for a reason. 

I'm grateful to recognize the familiar clench of anxiety. I'm grateful to observe it. I'm grateful to acknowledge that some of the struggle is compounded by lack of sleep. I'm grateful to focus on trust. I'm grateful to allow all the feelings to float through as I prepare myself for either relief and excitement or disappointment and sadness. I'm also grateful to know that the feelings will pass as I refocus on the positive and rebalance myself. I'm grateful to find meaning and comfort in my beliefs. 

What do you believe? What helps you when obstacles or disappointments arise?

May we trust our own beliefs. May we choose what is best for us. May we find healthy ways of moving forward when plans change. Have a beautiful day!

Tonight I find myself in need of a mental redirect. I am facing a week ahead of lots of to do lists, yes multiple lists of multiple categories of what needs done, and it is easy for me to think that the list items outnumber the hours in the days. 

I recently listened to a podcast about stress and how we react makes all the difference. Some people meet stress with anxiety and compounded stress so that it feels heavy and crippling. Other people find stress as a challenge to conquer and meet it head first with a gusto. 

If I am being honest, most kinds of stress I tend to react in the first way mentioned rather than responding to the challenge. After listening to the podcast I was reminded I have the choice in how I choose to respond...but this is the first real test to that. Time to put it to practice.

I can do this. I can manage my time well and have a very productive week. This is my chance to really dig in and see what all I can do when I use my time intentionally. I also get to use this opportunity to decide which things on the to do lists are important as I cross of the most important things first. And in finding this balance I also get to make sure my priorities are still intact with my family coming first. 

Thankfully I have a lot of help this week as well! My work schedule is light. I have an amazing husband ready to help. My girls have been doing a great job playing together which allows me a few extra minutes here and there to get things done. I have one evening of help from my parents already planned. I have my mother-in-law coming to help too. As a team, we've definitely got this.

I'm grateful to use this blog as a good mental redirect. I'm grateful for the podcast I heard that reminded me of my power to choose how I respond. I'm grateful to put this to practice tonight and all week. I'm grateful for my awesome team and all the help I know I have if/when needed. I'm grateful for the fun week ahead and everything great that will come from all this effort. I'm grateful to trust and remind myself that I've got this.

Which type of response do you tend to have to stress? How do you direct your thoughts to a powerful response instead of reaction? 

May we always seek to claim our personal power and positive perspective. May we meet stress with a gusto and meet the challenge. May we give ourselves grace if it doesn't quite go as planned. Have a beautiful day, you've got this!

Sleep is so very important...but... sometimes the extra time together is worth the price of a little lost sleep. My baby (I am not ready to admit she is a toddler now) slept in this morning which is unheard of for her. It threw off her nap schedule.

I made sure she still got her hour morning nap but rather than getting up at ten she was just going down at that time. Then I had a car service appointment at the time she would normally be going down for her afternoon nap. I arranged for someone to pick us up and to hang out at their house for the afternoon versus sitting in the mechanics waiting room. In my mind I thought that my youngest would fall asleep in the car or at least nap on me while we waited. She had other things in mind. 

I really thought the evening would be fraught with tired baby tantrums. Instead we had a ball playing together. She was hilariously vocal and a bit slap-happy. It was a fun time to get those extra couple hours of the afternoon to just hang out and play. Since we weren't home I didn't feel the pull to be getting other things done. I was able to just be present and play with my girls.

I'm grateful for this opportunity and reminder to just be present. I'm grateful to have my expectations not happen. I'm grateful to enjoy extra time with my girls. I'm grateful for the laughs I got watching my little slap-happy baby. I'm grateful for how vocal she is getting as she gets excited and tries her best to communicate. I'm grateful to my mom for picking us up and allowing us to hang out in her playroom while she worked upstairs.  I'm grateful for moments like these to cherish. I'm grateful to be reminded that sometimes the extra time together is worth a little missed sleep.

What is worth a little missed sleep for you? What cherished moments have come from being proved wrong?

May I be wrong like this more often. May we remember to be present and enjoy these beautiful moments with loved ones. Have a beautiful day!

You know how some days just go a little sideways? Today was one of those days where the timing just didn't line up and orders got mixed up and communication lines got crossed. It wasn't a bad day, just a little off.

As I finished up the last errand, car full with a variety of filled orders and two kids in a tired-hungry melt-down, I sent a message to my husband asking if he could please meet me at the garage to help me unload. Much to my relief his answer was yes and he helped me scoop up kids and bags and make it inside in half the time. Thank goodness for the parenting "team"!

After lunch my oldest daughter was talking about how she wanted kitty cupcakes for her birthday. I pulled up a couple bakery websites and found that none, locally, are currently making cat cupcakes at the moment. So I pulled up Pinterest and found a wide range of difficulty levels to making cupcakes into kitties. 

My daughter, of course, found ones that were incredibly detailed and realistic looking even. I gave a little chuckle and told her that while I appreciated her confidence in me, I thought we should maybe look for something a little bit easier. She looked at me, head slightly cocked while she gently patted my arm and said, "It's ok Mommy, Sweetie, I will help you. We are a team and I know we can do it together." 

Did your heart melt? Because mine did. Have I mentioned I adore this child? Anyway, it is true and I tell her all the time that even if neither of us know the answer we can figure it out together because we are a team. It is what I told her this morning as she was panicking at overhearing the nurse on the phone say I needed to take her to the ER. (Everything turned out fine.) It is what I tell her when we can't figure out why a toy isn't working or where her favorite something disappeared. We are a team. We have each others' back. And we can figure it out.

So I ordered some supplies and while the supplies I requested are still a a grade or two below the professional ones she saw, I think we have a pretty good chance at making some cute cupcakes. We are a pretty creative and capable team, after all.

I'm grateful for my team. I'm grateful to have such a wonderful family. I'm grateful to be so blessed to have a wonderful husband and co-parent. I'm grateful for my adorable, sweet preschooler. I'm grateful to see the kind person she is growing into. I'm grateful to be moving through some of the turbulence we had been having and move into a hopefully smoother phase for a bit. I'm grateful for my cuddly little one too. I'm grateful to see how my dreams have come true in this beautiful family and team I get to call mine. 

Who is on your team? How do they make you stronger while supporting who you are as an individual? 

May today remind us we are stronger as a team. May we have a deep connection with our family team. May we see the ways we are all a team as the human race. Have a beautiful day!

Today at lunch I got a fit of the giggles. I went to use the apple corer and slicer tool on a green apple and somehow it went all wrong. It made a wavy cut and left all the pieces a little wacky and curvy. For whatever reason, this was hilarious to me. My family just stared at me like I had lost my mind.

Later on my daughter and I were reading Wacky Wednesday. It is one of her favorite books and we have found all the wacky things on each page to the point of almost having it memorized. Now she likes to talk out why each thing is wacky and has starting coming up with her own.

She decided it was wacky that the stoplights are horizontal instead of vertical. The fact that the refrigerator only had one door (because the book is from the fifties or earlier even) and legs was completely crazy to her. She talked about the way the ladies and babies all had hats and the wacky strollers (buggies). Did you notice the phone had a "string"?!

Seeing the book through her eyes I realized the things that were purposely wacky were just the tip of the iceberg! Other things she talked about were not wacky at all, like the shoe in a tree. "It has a string to tie it up there so someone just put it there. That's not really wacky." The shoe on top of the flag pole, well, some people put an eagle there but some people just like to be different. The child walking an alligator on a leash..."but it is a baby alligator so it is probably nice and since it is on a leash it is just happy to go for a walk. Can I have a baby alligator?"

I got such a giggle hearing about the book from her perspective. It made me think about all the things we might think are wacky that are really just cultural or just our own perception. It was a good reminder that what is wacky to me may be completely normal to you. I might just find myself laughing hysterically at an apple while no one else sees the humor. My recommendation, laugh anyway. 

I'm grateful for lots of opportunities to laugh today. I'm grateful for lots of "tuned in" time with my girls today to capture these special moments. I'm grateful for how good it feels to let loose and laugh until I cry. I'm grateful to see my daughter's perspective. I'm grateful to test my own ability to explain things in a preschool-age way. I'm grateful for these cherished moments and great lessons lived.

What is your wacky? What makes you laugh? What seems crazy that is really quite normal to others?

May today bless us with humor and laughter. May we embrace being the one that looks a little crazy if it brings us joy. May we remember perspective is everything. Have a beautiful day!

I remember in my younger days sleep seemed optional. If something better came along I just said yes and found time for a cat nap some other day. It wasn't that big of a deal.

Fast forward to motherhood in my thirties. I'm not sure if it is the age difference or the cumulative lack of sleep of four years of interruptions, most likely both, but sleep has become the award at the end of the day.

Don't get me wrong, I still find all sorts of ways to miss out on it. I choose to watch a movie with my husband after the girls go to sleep or I play online longer than intended. If I'm anywhere near the end of a book, sleep is going to wait.

The difference is I don't bounce back as fast. I drag the next day. Sometimes for multiple days even after a good nights sleep. One of these years I'm going to get a whole week, seven whole nights of uninterrupted sleep. It will be amazing!

Sometimes I plan vacations. Sometimes I dream about what life will look like when my husband and I are retired empty-nesters. Sometimes I fantasize about sleeping through the night and waking refreshed. Oh the changes that age and motherhood can make. 

I'm grateful to feel a little silly today. I'm grateful my daughter has not caught on the the fact that I yawn every time someone else does. I'm grateful that I can turn a yawning fit into a silly game for us to play. I'm grateful my girls seem to be sleepy today too and we can just relax together. I'm grateful for a little chocolate boost to get me through a couple more hours. I'm grateful to allow myself time to meditate and release any judgement that I slept through most of it. I'm also grateful for work alarms. 

What is something that has become more important over time in your life? How much sleep do you get each night? What is your go to pick-me-up?

May we find humor in the choices we make. May we get the sleep we need and still have plenty of time for fun. Have a beautiful day!